Voyage of the Dreamer
by PathlessSpore
Summary: They told her they were just vivid dreams, and nothing to be afraid of. But this time the dream seemed all too real. Caught in a never ending nightmare, Claire is forced to partake in a war that could very well kill her. And if she dies in the dream, she may never return home. Iron Bull/OC. Rated M for Language.
1. Afraid

Voyage of the Dreamer  
Dragon Age: Inquisition Fanfiction  
Iron Bull/OC Inquisitor  
Romance/Adventure  
Prologue  
Afraid

_When I wake up I'm afraid_  
_somebody else might take my place_  
_When I wake up, I'm afraid_  
_Somebody else might end up being me_

_Afraid - The Neighborhood_

* * *

Summary: They told her they were just vivid dreams, and nothing to be afraid of. But this time the dream seemed all too real. Caught in a neverending nightmare, Claire is forced to partake in a war that could very well kill her. And if she dies in the dream, she may never return home.

* * *

"And how have you been, Ms. Brennigan; have your dreams been bothering you of late?"

Claire eyed the hooked nosed therapist ruefully beneath a frame of red hair, and piercing green eyes. She frowned at his question, her freckles shifted slightly as the expression on her face changed. Another month, and yet another doctor. How her mother hoped that this one would get through to her sleep deprived daughter; how she hoped that her poor child would finally rest soundly for one night.

Sometimes, Claire wished she would stop trying so hard. There was no cure for her vivid dreams,

"Ms. Brennigan?"

"Fine." she grunted under her breath, crossing her arms to pull her shoulders in. Her therapist frowned and scribbled something on his clipboard. He was pale and lanky man, with too big eyes for his face and a perpetual frown.

How he got his degree was beyond Claire. Doctors were supposed to be all smiles weren't they?

The process continued on for another half hour; Dr. Grim poked at her for an answer that was more than one syllable, and she brushed him off coldly. When the appointment was finally over Claire couldn't leave the room fast enough. The waiting room was quiet when she stepped in; white walls upon a black checkered carpet boxed her in as she shuffled to find a seat near her mom. Sally Brennigan was a small mousy woman whose looks Claire inherited, but not her personality. While her mother was kind and outgoing, she was withdrawn and often rude and cold.

The doctor called in Sally for the usual post appointment talk. Claire could almost imagine what the man was telling her mother; probably something along the lines of her being a borderline sociopath. He didn't know her, she wasn't a criminal, and she had a moral compass so what did it matter that she didn't like interacting with other people. Running on a few hours of sleep often shorted one's temperament.

Except, her case of sleeplessness could not be cured.

Sure, the psychologists would say that her dreams were a reflection of the subconscious emotions she tried to block out. The medical doctor's would say her brain was extremely active during REM sleep, resulting in her vivid and often disturbing dreams.

Claire didn't care what anyone said; she had long ago resigned herself to her fate. She just wished her mother would stop wasting what little money they had left on her. The moody young woman grumbled under her breath and shifted her weight in the uncomfortable chair, bouncing her leg as she waited for Sally to return.

Ten minutes turned to twenty, and when the hour reached its halfway mark Claire's mother returned. For a fraction of a second she could see her mom's weariness and worry, Sally looked old in that moment, but whatever weakness she had was quickly replaced by a soft smile when she saw her daughter. She talked to the receptionist for several minutes before shouldering her purse, Claire quickly got up and followed her out into the sunny, but cold fall day.

The parking lot was sparse as she sat in the passenger seat of their beat up red car, "Do you want something to snack on before we go home?"

Sally smiled at her, in response Claire crossed her arms and looked out the window, "No," she replied simply. She could feel her mother's worry radiate off her in waves, but said nothing for the long drive home.

Claire had never asked for her condition, and she certainly never asked her mother to do anything about it. They were poor enough as it was, barely making it by on Sally's meager paycheck. If it wasn't for her inability to get a good night's rest Claire could have helped make money, but because of her sleep deprived condition it was considered unsafe for her to work as well as many other things.

She considered running away several times, if anything to let her mother try and restart her life. Before Claire, Sally had dreams to become a renowned opera singer, and she had the talent. Many a time she had heard her mother singing as she lay in bed trying to sleep, but her pregnancy with her daughter had caused her to put her life on hold. Claire's father had walked on out Sally as soon as he learned of her condition, damning the both of them to a life of poverty. She often wondered if her mother harbored resentment towards her; if she did she hid it well because all her life Sally had devoted herself to her daughter.

When the pair finally arrived home, and made it up the long flight of stairs to their dingy apartment in the projects Claire locked herself in her room. She sat in the dark for a long time, knick knacks and other petty useless objects decorating the small room. She listened to the sounds of yelling outside, and to the sounds of police sirens in the distance.

And she listened to her mother sing again. Danny Boy if Claire was listening correctly, a favorite of her mother's as well as her own. But soon it faded and Sally was at her door,

"Dinner time, darling," she called. She didn't move for several minutes, and watched as her mother's shadow and footsteps faded away. Eventually she emerged from her room, and walked down the narrow hallway. As she passed the end table containing a vase of dying flowers she noticed an open letter.

A notice of eviction. Sally had been late with the rent the last few months, trying to pay for Claire's doctor visits. With a frown she walked into the small kitchen and sat at the table, a bowl of hot soup waiting for her. Her mother had already started eating, and when she saw Claire the smile lit up her face. They ate in silence, but the Eviction Notice danced around in her mind, maddening her with it's mere existence until finally-

"Damnit," Claire slammed her fist on the table, spilling some of her dinner over it, and startling her mother. The young woman glared at her, "Why? Why do insist I keep going to these appointments, you and I both know we don't have the money!?"

"Claire, the money isn't important," argued her mother but she was cut short by her daughter's angry sneer,

"Bullshit it isn't important; we're going to be evicted if we don't pay the rent on time, and that's not going to happen if I keep going to see these damn doctors!"

"I don't care about that," Her mother said firmly, "I care about your health and well being, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure you get better."

The anger was irrational, Claire knew that but it bubbled over as she violently stood and knocked over her chair, "I will never get better!" she cried, "There is nothing anyone can do about curing bad dream! They can try all the behavioral reconditioning they want but it's never going to get better!"

"Claire, please," Sally carefully approached her daughter and clasped her hands, forcing her to look at mother. But she wanted none of it, tearing herself free Claire turned away and stalked out of the kitchen. Before crossing the threshold she looked back at Sally,

"It's never going to change," she said seriously, "If you have an ounce of sense, you will drop me off at the nearest insane asylum and never look back. It would be better for everyone that way."

* * *

The time passed into the late hours of the night. Sally had tried several times to coax her daughter out of her room, but to no avail, and eventually she turned in for the night. Claire sat on her bed and stared up at the white ceiling. Her eyes felt heavy, and she could feel sleep calling to her from the far reaches of her mind.

But with sleep came the dreams. They often varied, but they were always vivid. She could recall each and every one of them with ease, and most often occurred more than once. There was the time where she had been caught in a cave full of spiders, and she could easily remember the way the webs felt against her skin and the fear she felt as the giant arachnids bore down upon her. Or the time when she had been stumbling around in the dark, hands grasping and pulling trying to drag her into an endless abyss.

Unbidden Claire's eyes closed. She felt herself fall and when she opened them again she gasped. A green mist swirled around her, there was no shape or sound as the wind rushed past her until the first vision hit her. It struck her as odd that she could dream in a dream, but it was short lived as she was battered with shards of images.

She couldn't make sense of much of it; horrifying creatures clawing their way from deep in the earth, killing the land as they walked, commanded by demonic dragons. She saw a king ascend to his throne with his queen, and a lone woman stand against a race of ox like men for the sake of her home. She saw a terrible war raged between the peoples of the world, caused by one man who thought death was an answer.

The mist brightened and started to solidify, she felt herself begin to fall faster and faster. Then, the mist died away. She screamed out as the hard stone floor came upon her fast, slamming her into the cold marble. Claire grunted in pain and rolled to her side, head spinning in confusion.

In dreams, you weren't supposed to feel pain, but the dull throb in her chest was very real. Shakily she tried to sit up, using shaky hands to prop herself. Why did it feel like she had just taken a very long journey? With a shake of her head she stood and braced herself against the wall.

This was a new dream, and certainly an odd one. The stonework was cold beneath her fingertips as she looked down both ends of the hallway. The only light source came from the fire flickering from the sconces on the wall.

As she stood there in that hall, dressed in the clothes she had fallen asleep in, she heard a woman cry out,

"Someone help me!"

She stood there frozen for a moment, waiting for footsteps to come running. But when none came she grew worried; had no one heard the cries of the woman. Tentatively she put one step in front of the other; when her dreams first began Claire had learned to simply go with the flow of events. The visions usually ended faster that way, and so she broke out into a run coming upon a door where she could hear voices from within.

Perhaps in this dream she was meant to play the hero, "What's going on here?!"

When she saw what was on the other side she wished she had stayed put. Her mind reeled to make sense of the horrid creature that clutched growing orb in its hand, as an older woman was helpless in front of him. Distracted, it looked towards her, eyes burning with madness and hate, and whoever the woman was took advantage of it. With every ounce of strength she knocked the orb out of its hands towards her, and instinctively Claire jumped out to catch it.

Then it exploded in a brilliant flash of emerald light.

Claire hissed in pain, and furrowed her brow. She wasn't supposed to hurt, dreams were not supposed to be like this. She could hear voices around her, whispering among themselves and the sound of retreating footsteps. Slowly, her eyes opened to reveal a dungeon like room where she was chained to the floor and her hands were shackled. She was kneeling on the cold, hard floor surrounded by men in armor who each held a sword to her throat.

They shifted nervously as a lance of pain shot through her hand, Claire looked down at found on the palm of her left hand was a glowing green scar. Before she could contemplate it, however, the doors to the dungeon were flung open. A stern looking woman with short black hair came marching in, followed closely by another wearing a hooded outfit. The men sheathed their weapons as she approached, and whoever this woman was glared down at her with contempt. She circled Claire like a predator would prey, her steely eyes boring into her skull.

Her companion, however, was much more composed. Choosing to observe Claire with curiosity. There was a stone in her gut as the older woman bent down next her,

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now." she said coldly, "The conclave is destroyed, and everyone who attended is dead. Except for you." She opted to remain silent, mostly because she didn't know what the hell was going on. Angered by her silence she grabbed Claire's wrist, "Explain this."

"I wish I could, but I can't."

This was a losing battle, this woman was ready to condemn her, "What do you mean you can't?!"

"I don't know what that is, fuck, I don't even know where I am!"

"You're lying!"

She moved to attack her, but was stopped by her companion, "Whether or not she is guilty is not of importance right now, Cassandra," she argued reasonably, "We need her." Slowly, she turned and faced Claire, a look of contemplation in her eyes, "In fact, I think there may be more to our guest than we originally thought."

"What do you mean?"

It was the other woman's turn to circle Claire, and the young woman did her best to follow her movements, "Look at how she dresses, I know for a fact this is not a new trend in Orlais, none would dare to dream of wearing such dreadful clothes."

"Hey!" Claire cried indignantly, but the woman ignored her,

"And her accent certainly doesn't sound familiar;" She stopped in front of the young woman and bent on her haunches, "Tell me, what is the last thing you remember before now?"

"I-I was at home, laying in my bed trying not to sleep because I didn't want to dream." A breathless laugh escaped Claire as a profound sense of relief washed over her, "Oh thank god, this is just a dream, none of this is real."

The red haired woman seemed amused by that statement as she stood up, "It would seem our guest is not of our world, Cassandra."

The woman named Cassandra scoffed angrily, and reached for her sword, "Then she is a demon from the Fade, Leliana?"

Leliana laughed and shook her head, "Oh no, I believe is very much human, but far from her home. How she got here is perhaps the work of the Maker," she turned back to Claire, "Do you remember what happened after you started dreaming?"

"I was falling, I think." She closed her eyes and struggled to remember, "It's fuzzy after that. I was running? Things were chasing me, and I remember… A woman?"

"A woman?"

"She reached out to me, but then…"

Fed up with Claire's efforts Cassandra ordered Leliana away, saying she would take her to a rift. As the hooded woman left the soldier bent down to unshackle her. Claire rubbed her wrists tenderly, running finger over the scar on her palm. Questions buzzed in her head; where was she, what had happened, and what was going to happen to her? A part of her wanted to believe this was all just a dream, but she usually woke up by now, and that filled her with a sense of dread.

"What happened that was so bad?"

Cassandra paused, looking at her as she helped her stand and once again bound her wrists, "It would be easier to show you." And she turned to lead the way. Out of any other options Claire followed after her.

As they stepped outside the light hurt her eyes, and she raised a hand to shield them. The cold bit her skin and bones through her thin shirt, and the snow fell softly around them. When her eyesight adjusted her attention was immediately drawn to a glowing tear in the sky. It pulsated with a green light, and the clouds and very earth itself seemed to twist around it.

"We call it the Breach," explained Cassandra, "It is a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour."

Claire stood speechless for moment until - "Well fuck."

* * *

_A/N: So this is my first attempt at two things: A Dragon Age Fanfiction, and whatever the hell this kind of Fic would qualify as. I'm gonna try to explain how Claire got into Thedas as best as I can, but I can't promise much, but it does have a lot to do with her dreams, or the act of dreaming itself. I'm looking for honest opinions about this story, but not to the point of crippling rudeness. Constructive Criticism, please._

_PathlessSpore_


	2. Radioactive

Voyage of the Dreamer  
Dragon Age: Inquisition Fanfiction  
Iron Bull/OC Inquisitor  
Romance/Adventure  
Chapter 1  
Radioactive

_All Systems Go_  
_Sun hasn't died_  
_Deep in my bones_  
_Straight from inside_

_Radioative - Imagine Dragons_

* * *

Summary: They told her they were just vivid dreams, and nothing to be afraid of. But this time the dream seemed all too real. Caught in a neverending nightmare, Claire is forced to partake in a war that could very well kill her. And if she dies in the dream, she may never return home.

* * *

Cassandra seemed amused by her reaction, "It's not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."

"Alright, look." Claire shifted angrily on her feet, "You keep saying things as if I should understand them. I thought your friend already made it clear I'm not from around here. What is this Conclave you're going on about?"

The female soldier frowned a bit, "I don't know if what Leliana says is completely true, but even I have to admit you look as if you don't belong. If I say things you don't understand, I'd ask you to forgive me."

"That's asking a lot from a person you've tied up and threatened."

"Then you see the irony in it as well," Cassandra smirked, "That's good; I know you have questions but they will have to be addressed later. right now we need to get to The Breach. Because if we don't act now, it may grow until it swallows the world."

A low pulsating boom caught their attention, and a green pillar of light erupted from The Breach. Claire's mark began to burn, and it felt like an angry wound was trying to pull open her palm. She screamed and fell to her knees and it sparked and hissed in response to The Breach. She struggled to form a coherent thought through the crippling pain, and in a flash Cassandra was at her side,

"Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads."

"And that means what?" she snapped angrily,

"It's killing you."

"Oh well, that complicates things."

"If that wasn't enough, it may be the key to stopping all of this. There isn't much time, however."

Claire scowled angrily at Cassandra, "Look, I already said things were complicated. There's no need to make it worse." She fell silent and looked up at The Breach. Dream or not, Cassandra's home was in danger of being consumed, and Claire was their only hope. With a deep sigh she looked at the Soldier and nodded, "It's shitty, but I understand."

"Then…?"

"Yeah, I'll help, but it's not like you were going to give me much of a choice anyway."

They started walking again, after Claire had been helped to her feet. They walked through the town, and as the passed she garnered stares and murmurings. Men and women gathered to point and stare, and she could see the anger flash in their desperate and tired eyes,

"They've already decided your guilt," Cassandra spoke softly, "They need it, considering their circumstances. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers."

The soldier took her past the gates of Haven and into the wilderness. They followed a rough hewn path into the mountains,

"So, your Divine Justinia? She's like the head of your church? The Chantry, right?"

"Yes."

"And the Conclave that was so rudely interrupted, it was like a meeting? Between what parties?"

"The Mages and the Templars."

Claire halted mid stride and gazed at Cassandra, "Mages, you mean people can do magic here?"  
It was the older woman's turn to look confused, "Of course, is it not the same for your world?"

"Not really, no. What we call magic is just parlor tricks, smoke and mirror stuff."

"An illusion? How odd… But you'll find no such trickery here. The magic that is used is very really, and very dangerous. It is the reason why Mages were once confined to the Circles, to not only protect them but ourselves as well."

"Circles?" Cassandra sighed irritably in response to Claire's question, "Hey, it's not my fault I don't know anything about this place. I'm just trying to understand."

"I know," the older woman continued walking, her younger charge following after, "If we manage to survive this, I'll answer any questions you have. I promise this."

"If we survive? You know, that really doesn't make me feel any better."

They came upon another gate, whose doors quickly opened for the pair. Cassandra inhaled deeply through her nose, "All you really need to know right now is that the Conclave was a chance for peace between Mages and Templars; our Most Holy brought their leaders together and now they are dead."

"Your religious leader dead in the midst of a war," mumbled Claire as she passed through the gates and listened to them shut behind her, "I can see why everyone is more than a little upset."

She paused so she could rub her hands together, and bounce slightly on her toes. Her sneakers were doing her no good in the freezing cold, and her clothes were much too thin for the weather. If the Mark didn't kill her, the cold surely would.

"Yes, we lash out like the sky, but we must think beyond ourselves. As our Most Holy would have done. We must seal The Breach."

"No argument here, Sister."

She watched as Cassandra pulled aside a nearby soldier and quickly talked to him. He shot nervous glances at Claire, and ran off as soon as he was able. No less than a minute later he returned with a set of clothes. The young man presented them to Claire and quickly disappeared.

"Put these on," Advised the Redhead's companion, taking a dagger to the binds around her wrist, "This should keep you warmer than your current outfit is."

At first, she was a little leery undressing in front of a bunch of people. But as it were, they were far too worried by the breach in the sky. Quickly she stripped and redressed, slipping on the gloves over her frozen fingers. It was a simple outfit, meant to keep her warm, and she pulled the Surcoat closer to her with a sigh, "Thank you."

Cassandra nodded, "Of course. When this over all I can promise you is a fair trial, nothing more. Come, it is not far."

"Wait, where are you taking me?"

"Your mark must be tested on something smaller than The Breach."

Claire was told to follow, and she was led across the bridge past a group of men who kneeled before a priest,

"All men are the Work of our Maker's Hands.  
From the lowest slaves  
To the Highest Kings  
Those who bring harm  
Without Provocation to the least of His children  
Are hated and accursed by the Maker."

The young woman made a face as she walked past, and it did not escape her companion's attention, "Yes?"

They passed through the other gate and traveled further up the Mountain path, "Oh, nothing. Your religion isn't any of my business anyway."

"Do not you not have Maker of your own in your world?"

"Umm, that depends on who you ask."

Claire almost laughed at the bewildered stare on Cassandra's face, "What do you mean?"

"Well, we have a lot of different cultures, and they believe different things. Some might say there a many gods, while others say there is only one god."

"And what do you believe in?"

"Me?" She shrugged her shoulders, barely moving to make way for a panicked soldier, "Umm, that's actually a matter of debate, and one I'd rather not get into right now."

Cassandra made to reply, but another pulse from the rift caught their attention. When it expanded the pain in Claire's hand was almost unbearable. She fell to her knees in agony as she tried to breathe and scream at the same time. When it faded her stalwart companion was at her side, "The pulses are coming faster now, we must hurry." Claire was pulled to her feet, and was forced into a run along the path. As they crossed the next bridge a ball of fire fell from the rift, destroying the structure. Claire and Cassandra fell down with the debris, the younger woman flailing down to the thick ice below. She landed with a grunt, smacking her shoulder onto the surface. As she struggled to get up, she couldn't help thinking that one way or another this place was going to end up killing her.

But that thought was the least of her problems, another meteor fell from the rift and crashed onto the ice in front of them. From green fire she saw a creature take shape, horrifying and ugly to look at. Without fear, Cassandra drew her blade and shield and rushed forward,

"Stay behind me," she called and she met the creature face to face. Claire was all the more happy to let the trained soldier handle the problem. But in front of her another creature began to form, it clawed it's way through the ice until it towered above her. She screamed as it looked down at her, fear filling her chest to the brim.

With a hiss it lashed out, and Claire barely moved away in time. She scrambled across the ice in an effort to escape the monster, but it purused her relentlessly until it finally cornered her against the remains of the bridge,

"Cassandra!" she screamed, but the soldier was too busy. Frantically she looked around for anything that could help. A shield lay not too far, and in a last ditch attempt to protect herself she jumped out to grab it. The creature attacked her, and with a cry of fear she raised the shield to block the attack. She could hear the wood splinter under the weight of the of her foe, and with a cry she threw it off of her.

It only temporarily solved her problem however, and it lashed back for another swiped at her. Before its claws could reach its mark, however, a sword pierced through its gut and tore it open with one clean movement. Claire watched as it died, fading into a pile of ashes while time slowed to a complete standstill.

Reality snapped back as she screamed and fell to her knees. She hyperventilated for several minutes trying to get over what she had just been put through. Claire was shaking when a kind hand was put on her shoulder,

"It's alright," she heard Cassandra say, "You're going to be alright. You did good."

Claire nodded as she tried to fight back her tears and terror, "I'm sorry, we should get to that rift."

She stood on her own two feet, still reeling over what had happened. Suddenly, the hilt of a sword was put into her hand. She stumbled under the heavy weight of the blade, trying to pick it up with one hand alone,

"I know you don't know how to use it, but it's better than being unarmed. I cannot always protect you, and I cannot expect you to be defenseless."

"You're sure I won't run away?"

Cassandra smirked, "You haven't tried it yet. Come on, we still have a long way to go."

* * *

The last twenty minutes were the most jarring moments of Claire's life, and one she wasn't eager to relive. She and Cassandra had traveled through the demon infested valley with much resistance. Claire spent much of their fights trying to avoid combat whenever she could, mostly by running across the field screaming in terror. Cassandra was patient with her, and when they weren't being attacked, she showed her charge how to make use of her weapon.

The pair climbed up a steep set of stairs, and in the distance she could hear the sound of people head,

"We're getting close to the rift, can you hear them fighting?"

"Who?"

"You'll see soon enough. Hurry, we must help them!"

With renewed strength they made it up the last set of steps and into the ruins of a building. A group of men and woman were trying to fight back against the demons, but whenever one was cut down it was replaced by another. And all of them seemed to be pouring from a tear in the very fabric of the world itself.

Without hesitation Cassandra jumped into the fray, taunting much of her enemies and giving her allies a much need moment to breathe. Claire uncertainly looked for a spot to join in, but it was so disorienting and she was afraid she would get killed or kill somebody.

When the last of the demons were beaten back, a man with a staff came rushing towards her, grabbing her by the arm, "Quickly," he said, "Before more come through!" Taking the hand that held the Mark, he thrust it up towards the rift. Claire's hand twinged uncomfortably as a stream of light began to knit the green tear closed.

"What did you do?" Claire clutched her hand close to her chest, observing the bald man. A bald man with pointed ears. He smirked at her and clutched his staff, which had been throwing ice at his opponents a few seconds before. Was this man a mage?

"I did nothing," he replied, "The credit is yours."  
"You mean I closed that thing? But how?"

The man seemed all too pleased to explain, "Whatever magic opened The Breach in the sky, also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized that the Mark may be able to close the rifts that have opened in The Breaches wake, and it seems I was correct."

"Meaning it could also close The Breach itself."

"Possibly." he replied, he gave Claire a kind smile, "It would seem that you hold the key to our salvation."

"Good to know," came a voice from somewhere behind Claire, she turned around to find a man several heads shorter than he walk up with a large crossbow strapped to his back, "Here I thought we'd be ass deep in demons forever." He gave her a small bow and a cheeky smile, "Varric Tethras: Rouge, Storyteller, and occasionally," he said flashing a wink at Cassandra, "Unwelcome tagalong."

"You're with the Chantry?"

The bald mage chuckled, "Is that a serious question?"

Varric smiled and fixed his cuffs, "Technically I'm a prisoner, just like you."

"I brought you along to tell your story to the Divine. As you can see, that and you no longer necessary." Cassandra said stiffly, shooting a frown at the shorter man. He just took it in stride and shrugged,

"Yet, here I am. Lucky for you, considering current events."

Claire smiled at him, "Well in any case it's nice to meet you."

"You may reconsidered opinion later." said the mage, earning him a laugh from Varric,

"Aw, I'm sure we'll become great friends in the valley, Chuckles."

"Absolutely not," Demanded Cassandra, "Your help is appreciated Varric, but-"

"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker?" Retorted Tethras, "Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me."

The Seekers reply was a disgusted snort, taking the moment to ease tension the mage stepped forward and bowed his head, "I am Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live."

"He means, 'I kept that Mark from killing you while you slept.'" Said Varric, Claire nodded her head,

"Then I guess I owe you," She said.

Solas chuckled, "Of that I am sure, but you can thank me if we manage to close The Breach without killing you in the process."

"That'd be great, dying really isn't on the list of things I had in mind today."

"Though I must admit, the Magic used here is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Especially coming from you."

"Is she a mage, Solas?" Questioned the Seeker, the bald man shook his head,

"No, I don't believe so, but her connection to the Fade very strong."

"The Fade?" Claire looked between the conversing pair in confusion, again Solas was more than happy to explain,

"Think of it as another world never meant to touch ours, separated from us by a thin wall called the Veil. Spirits and Demons called the Fade home, and the Breach is a large tear through the Veil allowing the Demons to freely come into our world."

"So I have a connection to the Fade through my Mark because I can close them?"

"Yes, and no. Yes, because your Mark can close the rifts. No, because I know you are not of this world, and that you used to Fade to get here."

"Whoa, back up Chuckles, what do you mean?"

Solas shook his head, "It's a difficult concept to explain to a Child of the Stone, since your kind do not dream-"

"What do dreams have to do with this?" Demanded Claire,

"Everything," replied the mage calmly, "When people like elves and humans dream, our spirits travel to the Fade, which reacts to our memories and shapes itself to them. With enough control anyone could manipulate the Fade through their dreams, but only a few had ever succeeded. Do you often dream while sleeping?"

"All the time, and before you say that's a good thing: it's not. Ever since my dreams started I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep in years. My family was poor enough without the added stress of paying doctors because I'm fucked up!"

"But your powerful dreaming was what brought you here in the first place. Whatever happened at the Conclave weakened the Veil enough to allow you to travel through the Fade to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. I'd hate to think of what happened if you hadn't showed up otherwise."

"So you're saying it's my fault everything's gone to shit?" Retorted Claire

"I don't think so," replied Varric, "Everything would still be shit whether you showed up or not; it's just might have been shittier without a way to seal the Rifts."

"Well since you put it that way…"

"Speaking of which, we must to the forward camp quickly. Let's go."

Cassandra and Solas walked off towards a path that led deeper into the Valley. Varric stepped up beside her and shrugged his shoulders,

"Well, Bianca's excited." He said with a chuckle, Claire smiled as she walked with him side by side,

"You named your crossbow Bianca?"

"Of course, and Bianca will be great company in the valley." He replied, "So, from another world, huh?"

"Yup."

"What's it like there?" Asked Varric as they caught up with the rest. Claire shrugged her shoulders in response,

"From what I've heard so far it's like being here, except it's a little more advanced and doesn't have the over abundance of Demons and Mages."

"Got any Dwarves there?"

"Umm, no, not the kind you're thinking of. Are you a dwarf?"

"Why yes I am. What about Elves, got any of those in that crazy world of yours?"

She shook her head, "Only in stories."

"Wow, not to be an ass or anything, but your place sounds kind of dull."

"Better than being in this nightmare." retorted Claire as the group traveled across the frozen surface of a lake. Varric laughed at that,

"I'll agree with on that one. So I have to ask, are you innocent in all this?"

"To be honest I don't know, I don't remember anything except the past few hours."

"Hah, that'll get you every time. You should of made up a story."

"That's what you would have done." Snapped Cassandra coldly, leading them up a steep set of steps into the mountain side. Tethras shrugged,

"It's more believable," he argued reasonably, "And less prone to result in a premature execution."

They came upon more demons on the trail. Claire's companions rushed forward, Cassandra taking the lead and drawing attention to herself. Solas and Varric offered ranged support as the redhead hesitated to jump in,

"Hey," Varric said, eyes trained on his next target, "Take it easy, we still need you so you don't have to jump in if you're not comfortable with it."

"So what am I supposed to do, sit down and look pretty?"

Varric chuckled, but for once Claire decided she was done with sitting on the sidelines. Her sword raised she rushed in and slide up behind a demon. With a clumsy swing she tried to rip a demon in half. It barely left a scratch and only attracted its attention. With a loud curse she raised her shield and whimpered as she felt the weight push her down.

"Keep your grip firm, but loose," Cried Cassandra above the noise, "You don't want the demon to knock the weapon out of your hand. And hold out your shield, it's of no use to you if you don't have it up."

Claire tried again when the Demon pulled back, taking another flying swing at it. She missed completely this time, and barely got her shield up in time to block. The demon, however, used it's weight to push her, sending her flailing onto her back. With a cry she tried to roll away from it's swipe, but didn't avoid the claw that bounced off her armor. Her heart racing she scrambled up and retreated several steps. Her companions, however, made quick work of it before it could pursue.

"Not bad," Said Varric, "You didn't die."

"I hope Leliana made it through this mess." Said Cassandra worriedly, sheathing her blade.

"Don't worry, Seeker, she's resourceful." Comforted Varric,

"We'll see for ourselves at the forward camp," said Solas as they continued up at a faster pace, "We're almost there."

Claire panted as they made the climb, her legs felt like they were about to fall off and her arms were numb. But she pushed forward with each shaky step until they crested the hill, and were faced with another Rift. The soldiers guarding the gate were trying their best to fend off the demons, and once again they were in the midst of the fray.

Claire was no good at upfront fighting, her skill with a blade was too clumsy to be of any real use. But, she knew how to use a shield, and when she was running across the field trying to not to get hit she offered a great distraction, because apparently Demons loved the flesh of screaming redhead's.

When the battlefield was clear, Claire was ordered to seal the breach. She really didn't understand how the process worked. Hesitantly she held out her hand, her Mark twinged and with a frown she thought about the rift being closed. She gasped as a the Mark glowed brighter and watched as the tear in the Veil knitted closed with a resounding boom.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, and with a stern order Cassandra ordered the soldiers to open the gate. They had made it to the forward camp, and that thought offered Claire a small bit of comfort.

The journey was halfway over.

"We're clear for the moment," Remarked Solas, "Well done."

The soldiers watched them pass, eyes upon Claire as they all took a breather inside the gate,

"Whatever that thing on your hand is, it's useful." Varric added, patting her on the arm, "Good job out there; you may not be able to fight, but you certainly know how to bring attention to yourself."

Claire laughed, "Well "Go big or go home", or at least with my case just go big."

They found Leliana at the opposite end of the bridge, looking no worse for wear,

"We must prepare the Soldiers." Argued Leliana heatedly to a clergy man, who stood over a map laid out upon the table,

"We'll do no such thing!" he retorted, the other redhead frowned fiercely at the man, "We must get the prisoner to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. It's our only chance!"

"You have already caused enough trouble without resorting to this exercise of futility!" The group approached them, and it was then Claire caught the attention of the Clergyman. "Ah, and here they are. I assume you have yet to come to your senses as you let this Demon walk around alive."

"Hey," spat Claire angrily, stepping forward, "Watch who you're calling a Demon, buddy. I just fought my up a mountainside through those damn things!"

"The word "Fought" might be a bit objective considering it's you." Said Varric with a smirk, Claire shot him a scowl.

"As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry," Said the man snidely, "I hereby order you to put this demon down like it should have been days before."

"Order me?!" Cried Cassandra in outrage, "You're a glorified clerk, Roderick. A bureaucrat!"

"And you are a thug, but a thugs who supposedly serves the Chantry!" Retorted Roderick with an angry sneer. Leliana was quick to step in,

"We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know."

"Justinia is dead!" Cried the Clergyman with a throw of his arms, "We must elect a replacement, and obey her orders on this matter!"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Snapped Claire, to which the chancellor quickly turned on her,

"You're not even supposed to be here!"

Claire slammed her fist down on the table in anger. She was already terrified and frustrated, and she certainly didn't need this man to make it worse, "Alright, listen here ass hat, this is possibly the shittiest day I have ever been though. I have been interrogated and attacked by creatures that don't exist where I come from, so I suggest you shut the hell up!"

"Remind me never to get on her bad side…" Muttered Varric to Solas, who made a noise of agreement. Roderick stood there speechless for a moment until Cassandra approached. He exhaled through his nose and closed his eyes,

"Call a retreat, Seeker," he pleaded, "Our position here is hopeless."

"Or we can stop this before it's too late." She replied,

"How? You won't survive long enough to reach the Temple, even with all your soldiers."

"But we must get to the Temple, the Path up the mountain is the quickest route."

"Not the safest, however," Cut in Leliana, "Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountain."

Claire looked up at the path that the other woman pointed out, while Cassandra merely shook her head, "We lost contact with an entire squad up there. It's too risky."

"Listen to me," Roderick slipped in, "Abandon this now before more lives are lost."

A flash of green and a low boom echoed across the sky again. This time, however, Claire was ready. The pain seared across her hand as the Mark pulled and twisted as The Breach expanded. She hissed in pain and clenched her teeth tightly. Solas took her left hand and observed the Mark, muttering something under his breath. He eventually sighed and looked up at her apologetically,

"My magic is not powerful enough to stop the growth now. Your only hope is to seal The Breach."

"Then how do you think we should proceed?" Questioned Cassandra. Claire laughed nervously and wrung her hands,

"You're asking for my opinion? You must be joking?"

"You bear the Mark." Solas reminded her,

"And we cannot decide among ourselves." Cassandra added. A silence descended upon them as Claire looked up at the mountain. So many had died, and either more would meet their end. She knew that if she took the indirect path many men would die distracting the demons, and she wasn't willing to let anymore meet a grisly end.

"We charge," she muttered after a moment, "I won't let anymore people die for me. Afterwards, if I survive this, you can have your trial. But whatever happens, it happens now."

"Then bring everyone left in the valley. Everyone." Ordered Cassandra, as the rest of the group began to move out. As they passed the Chancellor they heard him mumble,

"On your head be the consequences, Seeker."

* * *

Dead bodies lay around them in heaps, blazing in the fires left by the explosion. The group followed after the charging soldiers as best they could up the mountain towards the temple. The higher they went the colder it was. Soon even the wind was soaking into Claire's bones through her thick winters outfit. Her teeth chattered as they came upon a camp set up outside the broken ruins. Men were talking quickly among themselves, or nursing wounds. A stone settled in Claire's gut at the sight of them, they had thrown their lives on the line to get her here. The least she could do was make the sacrifice worth it.

When they entered the temple's ruined courtyard several footmen were engaged in demons pouring from a small rift. They pushed back best as they could with the aide Claire and her companions. When the opportunity presented itself she quickly sealed it.

"Sealed as before," remarked Solas, "You're getting quite proficient at this."

"Might as well," she replied, "Since, you know, it's attached to me."

"Well then," Said Varric as he came up to them, "Let's hope it works on the big one."

"Lady Cassandra," A new voice echoed across the field, and Claire turned to look, "You managed to seal the rift? Well done."

A handsome young man with shocking blonde hair and dressed in heavy armor approached. He bowed his head to Cassandra, who shook off his praise,

"Do not congratulate me, Commander. This is her doing."

Claire gave him a small wave, "Is it? I hope they're right about you; we lost a lot of good people getting you here." She suddenly dropped her hand and scowled,

"Well, thank you for making me feel worse about myself. And you know what? I hope they're right too, because if not we're all screwed. Don't I have a breach to close, or something?"

Claire stalked off following the sickly green light deeper into the ruins,

"We must hurry," Called Cassandra, "Give us time, Commander!"

They lept into the ruins of the Temple; smoke and charred bodies lay across the broken floor,

"The Temple of Sacred Ashes." Muttered Solas,

"Or what's left of it," Tethras retorted.

Cassandra grabbed her shoulder and pointed to a distant spot near a wall, "You walked out of a Fade right there, and that is where our soldiers found you. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was."

Claire studied the spot as they passed, but soon turned her attention to the decrepit hallways that eventually led to an open courtyard bathed in red and green light. Large glowing crimson crystals poked out of the ground in several places.

And above them was The Breach.

"The Breach is a long way up." Remarked Varric, Claire snorted as she craned her head upwards,

Behind them Leliana finally arrived, to which Cassandra ordered her and her men to take up a guard around the perimeter. The Seeker quickly turned to Claire who was studying the rift in the area below, "This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?"

"Sure, now or never, but does anybody got bright idea about how I'm supposed to get up there?" she replied pointing up."

"You don't need to get up there," Said Solas, "You just need to close that rift, as it was the first. Seal it, and perhaps we seal The Breach."

"Then let's find a way down, and be careful."

There were no arguments as they picked their way down. As they passed the large crystals in the ground Claire stopped to study. She reached out hand to touch them, but before she could Varric stopped her,

"Don't." he said sternly, the first time she had ever seen him so serious, "It's Red Lyrium, that shit'll make you go crazy."

"What's it doing here?" Questioned Cassandra, Varric shrugged and walked off with Claire close behind,

"Who knows, just don't touch it."

As they got closer and closer to the rift, a deep male voice echoed throughout the courtyard. It made a shiver crawl up Claire's spine at the sound of it,

"Now is the hour of our victory."

"What are we hearing," called the Seeker,

"At a guess: the person who created The Breach." Replied the mage. Closer and closer and the voices became more, a woman called for help and it tugged at the back of Claire's brain. A voice she should recognize, but was identified as Divine Justinia.

"What's going on here?" She recognized her own voice alongside Justinia's, and Cassandra could only stammer in bewilderment,

"The Most Holy called out to you. But how…?"

"I don't know," Claire replied as she observed the Mark reacting to the rift. Suddenly a vision of the past manifested itself, and they all saw as an unknown assailant harassed the Divine. And they all watched as Claire came upon the scene.

"You were there!" Cried Cassandra, bearing down upon the redhead, "Who attacked. And the Divine, is she…? Was this vision true? What are we seeing?!"

"I said I don't know, I can't remember anything!" She yelled back, but Solas's calm voice the broke through them,

"They are merely echoes of what happened here. The fade bleeds into this place. The rift is not sealed, but it is closed. Albeit temporarily. I believe that with the Mark you can open it again, and seal it properly and safely."

"However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side."

"So it's not safe." Retorted Claire as she crossed her arms; she Varric snort somewhere behind. The mage ignored her as Cassandra ordered the men to stand ready. Everyone quickly moved into positions, as Claire stepped forward. With a deep breath she held out her hand and mentally ordered the rift to open. All observed as the rift began to unknit, slowly at first but it began to unravel faster and faster until is opened with a resounding boom. A flash of light pulsated brightly, blinding all of them for a few seconds as the ground beneath them shuddered under heavy footsteps.

When Claire's eyesight returned she regretted it. All the creatures before were nothing compared to monstrous demon before her. Several eyes studied her cunningly as claws flexed with each step it took,

"Pride Demon!" Cried someone behind her, and Claire quickly tried to back up several steps. And the rush of battle began. Cassandra and several other warriors rushed headlong at it. The demon roared loudly and took a long swipe at them. Some were flung back violently, but the Seeker managed to dodge the blow. Archers from the battlements peppered it with arrows as crossbow bolts and magic were thrown at it's tough hide.

Claire stood there like an idiot, watching as everyone fought the demon. She looked down at the mark on her hand, then back up at the rift. Demons were supposed to be connected to the fade, or so it had been explained to her. She wondered if she could use the rift to weaken the demon.

There was only one way to find out.

She flanked the large creature, and got as close to the rift as she dared. Then she thrust out the Mark and told the rift to attack the Demon. It didn't want to listen at first, so frowned and ordered it again; it took a few seconds and a lot of concentration but a green bolt eventually flew out of the rift and stuck the demon. With a cry it fell to it's knees, where in one deft movement Cassandra took off it's head.

Silence fell over them, until Claire remembered why they were there. She used the Mark once again and ordered the Rift to close. It was an old tear, and was reluctant to do so, but she finally sealed it a resounding boom shook the ground. The Breach closed in a brilliant flash of light, and everyone cheered when they saw it.

Everyone except Claire, who lay upon the ground unconscious, the Mark still glowing on her hand.

* * *

**_A/N: This is by far the longest chapter I've ever done in my career of Fanfiction. A feat of which I am very proud of. I hope you enjoy the second chapter, and your CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM is most welcome. And I'd like to thank those who reviewed, favorite, and followed the story. You support means very much to me._**

**_PathlessSpore_**


	3. Heretic Blood

Voyage of the Dreamer  
Dragon Age: Inquisition Fanfiction  
Iron Bull/OC Inquisitor  
Romance/Adventure  
Chapter 2  
Heretic Blood

_My flesh will feed the demon,_  
_No trial, no case for reason._  
_I've been chosen to pay with my life._

_Mad men define what mad is,_  
_Turning witches and saints to ashes._  
_Rising masses marching to find,_  
_Heretic blood._

_Heretic Blood - Avenged Sevenfold_

* * *

Summary: They told her they were just vivid dreams, and nothing to be afraid of. But this time the dream seemed all too real. Caught in a neverending nightmare, Claire is forced to partake in a war that could very well kill her. And if she dies in the dream, she may never return home.

* * *

The first thing that hit Claire when she finally woke up was how much her head hurt. It felt like it had been run over several times by a freight train. For a few seconds she struggled to gather her thoughts, and wondered why she was laying in a soft comfortable bed.

Oh yes, the dream. The nightmarish landscape where she'd been accused of bringing demons into the world. She had gone with a woman named Cassandra to close something called a rift using a Mark that had been etched into her hand. Laire groaned and rubbed her temple; by far that was the most jarring dream she had ever experienced.

And it certainly wasn't one she was eager to relive soon.

She took the moment to relax in her bed; never before had the ratty thing felt so comfortable. She sighed as she listened to the fire cackle in the fireplace-

….Wait, what?

With a gasp Claire flew into an upright position with her eyes open wide. She took in the small cabin around her, the walls covered with furs and other little knick knacks. Outside the window she could see the snowy landscape. Her gut tied in knots she looked down at her left hand and with dread still saw the Mark burned into her skin.

She held back a sob as best as she could. This was no dream; Claire was stuck in this hellhole.

A gasp from the door caught her attention, a woman with pointed ears dropped the box she was carrying at the sight of Claire,

"I didn't know you were awake, I swear." she cried fearfully,

"Hey, calm down," Claire held out her hands cautiously, "Where am I?

The woman fell to her knees refusing to look Claire in the eyes, "I beg your forgiveness and your blessing. I am but a humble servant." The redhead wasn't liking where this was going, this woman was making it sound like she was some religious icon. If she had learned anything from her world, nothing good ever came out of something like that. "You are back in Haven, My lady. They say you saved us. The Breach stopped growing, just like the Mark on your hand."

Claire looked back down at it, and had noticed that it looked a little more normal now. Except for the sad fact it still glowed green,

"It's all anyone's talked about for the last three days."

"What," She sprung to her feet in shock, "Three days? I've been asleep for three days?

The servant girl sobbed in terror, "Yes, My Lady, they brought you back to Haven. You was passed out cold, you was."

Claire rubbed her face and groaned in frustration, "So what now? My trial happens, right?"

"I don't know anything about that." Said the girl, quickly getting to her feet. She still had her head down as she tried to back out of the room as fast as she could, "Lady Cassandra will want to know you've awakened. 'At once.' she said."

"Where is Cassandra." questioned Claire,

"In the Chantry with the Grand Chancellor. 'At once.' She said."

And with that the girl beat feet. Claire sighed irritably and sat back on the bed. She rubbed her eyes furiously; some part of her wished that she could just wake up from this bad dream, but another part urged her to get dressed because Cassandra would want to see her. She quickly dressed in the clothes she'd been given, and went out the door into the early noonday sun.

The cold was sharp today, and she blinked against light that shimmered off the fresh snow. She could hear people talking all around her, and watched as they milled to and fro. Just when she was wondering what she was supposed to do next, a group of soldiers came marching up to her.

"Your Worship." Said the Captain with a bow, "We are to take you directly to the Chantry. Lady Cassandra awaits you there."

"Oh," Claire shifted nervously on her feet, "umm, lead on then."

The Captain dipped his head and turned on his heel. His soldiers fell into formation around her and herded towards a large building, one that she vaguely remembered coming out of three days prior. As they marched they passed civilians and other footmen alike. The soldiers braced their right arm across their chest, as people bowed their heads in respect. And above the noise she could hear them whisper their praises of her, stories of how she had selflessly closed The Breach.

She wanted to cry out, to tell them that she wasn't anything special. She had only done what was right. When they reached the front doors to the church, the battalion broke and allowed her to enter. As she did, a priestess dipped her head in recognition, muttering "Your Worship," under her breath.

What was going on?

The Chantry was dark, as candlelight flickered on the walls. There was no one she could see inside, all she could make out were voices. And one of them she recognized as the Grand Chancellor. She made a face at his tone, and stopped at the door to listen in,

"Have you gone completely mad?" Roderick demanded, "That thing doesn't deserve the decency of a fair trial; it should be put down like any other demon."

"She is not a demon!" spat Cassandra angrily, "No demon would work that hard to close The Breach."

"Perhaps that is what it wants you to think! For all we know it could have caused the explosion at the Temple of Sacred Ashes."

"She is not guilty." Claire smiled as the Seeker came to her defense.

"It failed, Seeker," Remarked the Chancellor, "The Breach is still in the sky, for all we know it intended it this way."

"I do not believe that."

"That is not for you to decide," said Roderick, "Your duty is to serve the Chantry."

She could almost hear Cassandra becoming more and more enraged, "My duty is to serve the principles on which the Chantry was founded, Chancellor. As is yours."

Claire snorted, "Oh, better put some ice on that burn, Chancellor." she muttered. Tired of letting to two talk for her, she stood back and opened the door with quite a bang. Leliana, Cssandra, and Roderick looked up at her entrance,

"Ok first off," she said, pointing a finger at the Clergyman, "I am not an "it", I am a "she". Secondly, any problems you might have with me are better of said to my face than behind my back."

Roderick ignored her with a sneer, "Kill her, and burn the remains. I will no longer have this demon walking among us."

"Disregard that," ordered Cassandra sternly, "And leave us."

The two soldiers that stood at the door, braced their arms and promptly left. Claire snickered at the Chancellor and approached the table,

"You walk a dangerous line, Seeker." Warned the Clergyman, the Seeker rounded the table slowly,

"The Breach is stable, but it is still a threat. I will not ignore it."

Claire crossed her arms and sighed irritably, "I did everything I could to close the breach. Hell, it almost killed me. And yet I'm still a suspect in all of this?"

"You absolutely are." Spat Roderick,

"No she is not!"

"I cannot believe I am hearing this, to think that our most loyal soldiers have fallen to this demons influence!"

"I am not a demon!" Screamed Claire, slamming her fist on the table, "I don't know what it's going to take for you to see that!"

Before Roderick could reply Cassandra stepped in, her gaze cold, "Have a care Chancellor, even if she is a demon, she and The Breach are not the only threat we face."

"Someone was behind the explosion at the Conclave, someone the Most Holy did not expect." Added Leliana, her tone as cutting as a knife, "Perhaps they died with the others - or have allies who yet live."

"I am a suspect?" The Chancellor had the nerve to look outraged,

"You, and many others." snapped the Scoutmaster.

"But not the demon."

"I heard the voices at the temple," Said Cassandra seriously, "The Divine called to her for help."

"So it's arrival, and that thing on it's hand - all a coincidence?"

Providence," The seeker shook her head, "The Maker sent her to us in our darkest hour."

"Whoa, time out." Snapped Claire, "You think your Maker sent me to help you? Do you realize how crazy that sounds? I'm not from this world, why would you think your Maker would pluck my from my bed to help you? There is no way I am your 'Chosen One'!"

"We are all subject to the will of the Maker, whether we wish it or not." Remarked the Seeker seriously, "No matter what you are or what you believe, you are exactly what we need when we needed it."

Cassandra departed from the table to search among a pile of books, as she did Leliana looked up at her, "The Breach remains, and your Mark is our only hope of closing it."

Before Claire could jump in, Roderick stamped his foot angrily, "This is not for you to decide."

In response the Seeker returned with a heavy book and slammed it upon the table, "Do you know what this is, Chancellor." She said pointing down at it, but she didn't wait for his answer, "A Writ from the Divine, granting us the authority to act."

Cassandra stood up straighter, and as she spoke Claire could feel a shiver run down her spine, "As of this moment I declare the Inquisition reborn," She bore down upon the Clergyman, backing him into a corner, "We close The Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order! With or without your approval!"

Chancellor Roderick looked between the three of them, and left the room in an angry huff,

"Well then," Claire said, trying to break the tension, "Does anybody want to explain to me what just happened?"

Leliana smiled and tapped on the book's cover, "The is the Divine's Directive: rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos. We aren't ready; we have no leader, no numbers, and now no Chantry support."

"But have no choice," Said Cassandra, "We must act now. With you at our side."

"So you're going to bring me into a Holy War?"

"We are already at war, you are already involved. It's mark is already on you. As for whether our war is holy, that depends on what we discover."

"Well fuck," Claire scuffed her heel and rubbed at her eyes, "When I woke up I almost believed I was back at home, and this had been nothing but a terrible nightmare. Two days ago is you told me I was going to sucked into this mess I'd called you crazy."

Leliana and Cassandra were silent, and Claire could feel their eyes on the back of her neck. The redhead looked at the door; she wanted to walk out of it, but she knew that with this Mark there was no escaping her fate.

If there was a Maker, he had a terrible sense of timing and humor.

"Well," she said, rubbing the back of her neck, "I really don't have a choice, but if I can help I'll do it."

"Thank you," Cassandra smiled at her, "Now it begins."

"So what's first on our agenda?" Claire said, rubbing her palms together.

The Seeker chuckled, "For us, we send out our directives, calling all those who are able to Haven so they may be trained. As for you, go to the training yard, Commander Cullen wants to see you promptly."

"Why?"

"According to him," Said Leliana with amusement, "He said it was high time you learned how to properly handle a blade."

* * *

A/N: Third Chapter, up and ready to go. Not as long as the last chapter, but this acts as more of a filler than anything. Thank you to all my reviewers, and those favorited and followed. Your support means so much to me. Please leave CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM in the box below, and have a wonderful evening!

PathlessSpore


	4. Come With Me Now

Voyage of the Dreamer  
Dragon Age: Inquisition Fanfiction  
Iron Bull/OC Inquisitor  
Romance/Adventure  
Chapter 3  
Come With Me Now

_Afraid to lose control_  
_And caught up in this world_  
_I've wasted time, I've wasted breath_  
_I think I thought myself to death_

_Come With Me Now - The Kongos_

* * *

It was amazing to see the manpower the small group of advisors managed to gather in a few short days. Not that Claire had much time to notice, when Cullen wasn't beating her across the training yard with a stick she was stuck in the Chantry pouring over books about Thedas. It was a lot of information to take in, they had an extremely long history full of tragedy and horror.

War, Slavery, and not to mention hellish creatures called darkspawn.

Her days consisted of this tedious routine; every morning she'd be dragged from bed into the freezing cold with the other recruits. Except she had Cullen as a personal trainer, and soon after she'd become something an impossible student. The Commander slaved away for hours each sunrise trying to instill proper technique to which either he or Claire walked away with a new cut or bruise.

Then it was breakfast, and off to the Chantry for her history lessons. Her tutor was an Antivan woman by the name of Josephine. She was always impeccably dressed, and walked with a graceful poise. And of the two of her teachers, she was the nicer one. She always took Claire's questions in stride and never once grew frustrated with her otherworldly student.

As the days passed the rumors about her began to spread. She heard the whispers among the footmen and everyday workers. They said she was something called the Herald of Andraste. Curious of the name she looked up the woman and to her horror found that she was supposedly the bride of the Maker.

Claire naturally freaked out. She cornered Cassandra and demanded that the nonsense be put to an end,

"Why does it matter what they call you?" Questioned the Seeker,

"Because religious icons never work out," Said Claire, she pointed to the statue of Andraste near the wall, "Fuck, look what happened to her! Her husband betrayed her and she got burned alive! Just because she was the bride of your god!"

"The people need something to believe in," Comforted the older woman, patting her gently on the shoulder, "Especially in these trying times. You did the impossible, is it so surprising that they revere you as a Herald of our Maker's Bride?"

"Yes!" Claire ran her hands through her hair and exhaled an exasperated sigh, "You have to understand how uncomfortable this makes me feel. The second someone tells you you're a religious icon you're in the middle of political and religious movements. And almost all of those icons meets a grisly end; I don't want that to be me!"

"Relax," ordered the Seeker in a stern tone, "Nothing is going to happen to you, not as long as I yet live."

It did little to comfort Claire but she let the anxiety with her title rest.

Late one afternoon day, as she sat in the cabin the Inquisition had given her studying, a firm knock came at her door. She looked up from her book, and quickly answered it. A young soldier saluted her on the otherside,

"Lady Cassandra wishes to see you in the Chantry, Your Worship."

"Alright, I'm on my way."

Ten minutes later she was walking side by side with the Seeker, "Does it bother you?" She said, indicating to her Mark,

"It's stings every once in a while, but at least it's not killing me anymore."

"We take our victories where we can." Replied Cassandra, "For now it is stable, as is The Breach. Your efforts have given us time, and Solas believes that a second attempt may permanently seal The Breach - provided your Mark has more power."

"He figured that out in just a few days?" Remarked Claire, flexing her hand,

"When it comes to matters having to do with the Fade and such topics, Solas is our best tool. He thinks that the same level power that opened The Breach can be used to fully seal it. That will not be easy to come by."

"Well, how harmful can powering up something we barely understand be?" Snarked the redhead, earning her a smirk from the Seeker,

"Hold on to that sense of humor." she advised,

"Well duh, at this point my sense of humor is the only thing that's keeping me from going insane."

They entered their makeshift war room, and there she was reintroduced to the Advisors. They exchanged pleasantries and got straight to business,

"As you know, your Mark needs more power to close The Breach for good." Explained Cassandra,

"Which means we need to approach the Rebel Mages for help." Leliana said, only to have Cullen cut in irritably,

"And I still disagree, The Templars could serve just as well."

"But we need power, Commander. With enough magic poured into that Mark-"

"Might destroy us all," The Commander said seriously, "Templars could suppress the Breach, weaken it so-"

"Pure speculation." Leliana remarked coldly,

"I was a templar," Cullen shook his head, "I know what they're capable of."

"But you'll remember," Josephine cut in, "Neither group will talk with us. The Chantry has denounced The Inquisition, and you specifically, Miss Claire."

"Me? Why me? Do they still think I'm guilty?" Claire furrowed her brow,

"Not entirely. As may well know some are calling you "The Herald of Andraste", others have taken to calling you a Demon of the Fade. Either way, that frightens the Chantry."

"Demon of the Fade…" Scoffed the young redhead, "One guess who started that rumor…"

"Exactly, those who believe Chancellor Roderick's damnation of you have called The Inquisition blasphemous, and us Heretics for harboring you. So it limits our options, which makes approaching the Mages or Templars impossible."

"So what? Will the Chantry attack us?"

"With what?" Scoffed Cullen, "They only have words at their disposal."

And yet, they may bury us with them." Josephine cautioned.

"There is something we may yet do," Said Leliana, turning to Claire, "A Chantry cleric by the name of Mother Giselle has asked to speak with you personally. She is not far from Haven, and knows those involved far better than I. Her assistance could be invaluable."

"Wait, one of your church clerics wants to talk to me? I thought we already established they think we're heretics, and why me personally?"

"You yet underestimate what the people think of you," commented the Seeker, "Perhaps Mother Giselle wants to see the growing legend for herself; either way it would be prudent to accept help no matter the source."

"Ugh, fine? Where is she?"

"She is tending to the wounded of the Mage/Templar war in the Hinterlands near Redcliffe Village."

They brought out a map of Thedas and pinpointed the approximate location, "We will send one of our Scoutmasters ahead of you to establish a foothold in the Hinterlands. Lady Claire, if you find an opportunity to extend the reach of the inquisition while you're there, it is imperative that you take it."

"Can do, Commander." Said Claire as she saluted him, "So am I just going by myself, cause I don't think I have to say that's a bad idea?"

"Maker, no," said Cassandra, "Solas and I will accompany you to the Highlands."

"What about Varric? Claire furrowed her brow, she had taken the time to get know the snarky dwarf in the past few days. He had instantly rubbed off on her, and they usually spent the cold nights in the Tavern trying to get her to learn Wicked Grace. A game, she found out, she was quite good. It was a lot like poker in weird old fashioned way, and she was good at that game.

Cassandra made a face; she knew the two had become fast friends, though she didn't entirely approve of it, "He can accompany us if you so wish it. So long as he makes himself useful."

"When have I not, Seeker?" Varric came in through the door behind them, smirking all the while, Claire snickered, "So an adventure, huh? Should be fun, it's been a while since Bianca's gotten some exercise."

"Bianca? Are you sure it's not you?"

"Oh ho, the human has jokes. Try and hit something this time, Swing and a Miss."

Claire laughed as she and the dwarf left the room, poking fun at each other. And for a little bit she wasn't worried about demons, or The Breach, or anything else. And perhaps that's what Varric strived for in the first place. At least they couldn't say he didn't look out for his friends.

* * *

**_A/N: Another short chapter, more dialogue this time. I'm planning for the next one to be longer, and more fulfilling. It's hard to write a story like this, since the game it's itself is more open world and I'm trying to make the plot more linear here. Your reviews, Favs, and follows are very much appreciated, and I'm so glad that you like this story. I was almost certain I'd get backlash for something like this. I hope I can continue to deliver to you expectations._**

**_Please leave CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM in the box below, and enjoy your evening/morning/or whatever time zone you live in!_**

**_PathlessSpore_**


	5. Do It Now, Remember It Later

Voyage of the Dreamer  
Dragon Age: Inquisition Fanfiction  
Iron Bull/OC Inquisitor  
Romance/Adventure  
Chapter 4  
Do It Now, Remember It Later

_We'll stare straight-faced don't hesitate_  
_See, why would we wanna make you bastards_  
_Thank god I've got this, now I can say_  
_We're gonna do what we want!_

_Do It Now, Remember It Later - Sleeping With Sirens_

* * *

The cold had seeped through her boots and numbed her toes; Claire's heels were sore and screaming at her, while her legs strained with every step. The training Cullen had put her through had done little to prepare her for the forced march Cassandra was pushing on them. And yet, not one complaint left her mouth. She really didn't have room to complain, not when Thedas was falling to shit around them.

That first night, as they first set up camp, She, Solas, Varric and Cassandra ate a semi-silent meal. The elf was engrossed in a book in some language she couldn't understand, and Cassandra was busy sharpening her blade. Claire and Varric sat some ways away, eating their dinner,

"So I have to ask," The Dwarf said, poking at his food, "Are you holding up okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you go from being the most wanted criminal in Thedas to joining the armies of the faithful. Most would have spread that out for a couple more days."

Claire pondered it for the moment, "Truthfully, I'm just happy to have walked away from all that in one piece, but if I'm really honest with myself I can hardly keep up."

"Yeah, I bet. Torn from your own world and thrown into this one, I can't blame you for feeling a little lost. How have your lessons been going, by the way."

"Okay, I guess, there's still a lot of your history that I still have to learn."

Varric chuckled and nudged her in the arm, "And your swordsmanship, Swing and a Miss?" He laughed even more at the withering glare Claire shot him. They fell silent and her gaze was instantly drawn to The Breach. It was hard not to look at it, everywhere they went it sat in the sky glaring down at the world. It stopped expanding, but that didn't mean it was closed. How in the world was she supposed to close that thing? She was only one person; a person who had no idea what the fuck she was doing, and who had a lot of pressure riding on her shoulders.

"Hey Varric?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you stay? After the Conclave collapsed, I mean, Cassandra said you were free to go."

Her friend was quiet for a moment or two, "I like to think I'm as selfish and irresponsible as the next guy, but this…" He shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Thousands of people died on that mountain, I was almost one of them. And now there's a hole in the sky. Even I can't walk away and leave that to sort itself out."

The pair fell into a profound silence, "We're a fortunate pair, aren't we? But you know, I'm still not sure any of this is really happening. Every night I go to sleep hoping I'll wake up in my own bed in the morning, and all of this would have been a really bad fucking dream."

Varric soffed sarcastically, "Yeah, if this all the Maker just winding us up, there better be a damn good punchline coming."

"No kidding."

"Hey kid," Claire looked at him and found Tethras giving her worried expression, "You might want to consider running when you have the chance."

"Why?"

"I've written enough tragedies to recognize where this is going, I'd hate to see anything bad happen to you. Heroes are everywhere, I've seen that. But a hole in the sky? That's beyond heroes, we're going to need a miracle."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Varric," Retorted Claire dryly, "I know this is bad, I don't have to be from around here to recognize that. But I'm not that much of an asshole to walk away from this when people are counting on me to make it better. Not when I'm their only hope."

"You're a good kid, Claire, if it makes you feel better I'm going try my damndest to you through this to the end. And if we're still alive by then I'll try and find a way home for you. I think we owe you that much, we just stuck you into the middle of a war after all."

"You may not like to think it," Said the redhead with a nudge, "But you're a good man, Varric."

"Yeah, well, don't go telling anybody about it. I have a reputation to keep."

* * *

Cassandra took first watch that night as the rest of the group settled down for sleep. Claire shifted uncomfortably on her bedroll, lying on her back staring up at the stars. The fire crackled in the background, and as she listened her lids began to droop heavily. She felt her mind slow to a sluggish crawl and she fell into the uneasy fog of sleep.

It seemed like only a moment when she woke up next. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, and opened them to find herself looking at a white ceiling. She stared it in confusion for a moment; carefully she sat up in a familiar bed and looked at the dreary walls of her bedroom. A relieved smile flitted across her face as she threw back the covers, and bolted for the door.

It swung wide as she ran down the hallway and into the living room/kitchen. Sally was there at the stove, humming to herself softly. The smell of bacon and eggs filled Claire's nose as she took a timid step forward,

"Mom?"

Sally turned around and smiled at her daughter, "Good morning, Sleepyhead," she said with a laugh, "You're first good night in a long time, you didn't wake up at all."

Claire took another step in, and another until she rushed forward and threw her arms around her mother. Sally sputtered in surprise but wrapped her arms around Claire nonetheless. the redhead relaxed in her mother's grip, the scent of her perfume permeating her senses,

"I had the worst dream, mom," she whispered,

"Oh"

"I dreamed I was far away from home in a place with demons and magic, and it was horrible. Mom, I'm so sorry for what I said last night."

"Don't worry about it ,dear. I got a call this morning, I was offered a really good job with housing and everything. We're going to be alright, Claire. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Yes it was. Something good had finally happened and they'd be ok. No more worrying about money, Sally would have enough of it to send her to the best doctors and help her get better. But all she wanted right now was to stay here forever in her mother's arms.

"This isn't real."

Claire's eyes snapped open and she withdrew from Sally; she spun on her heel and found Solas standing in the threshold of the kitchen. He looked ever calm as the young woman stared at him in shock. A sinking feeling in her stomach made it churn violently,

"Who are you?" Demanded Sally, "Leave before I call the police!"

The elf ignored Claire's mother, his eyes fixated on on her daughter, "This isn't real, Claire." he repeated and the young woman started to shake violently. She dropped to her knees in horror and clutched her head,

"No," she whispered, fighting the impending truth, "Please, no."

Her house began to fade around her, the walls falling away to reveal a blurry and twisted landscape. Solas approached and knelt down next to her, a hand on her shoulder,

"I am sorry, I would have let you dream of your home-"

"Then why didn't you?" Snapped Claire angrily, the elf said nothing only nodding to something behind her. She turned to face her mother, but something different stood in her place. A horned woman with a tail and violet in hue sneered down at them, "What is that?!"

"A Desire Demon, drawn to you by your dreams of your home. She would have fed off of you until you died. I could not allow that to happen."

"How dare you take what is mine." she said languidly, "Such a strong mind, so delicious to feed upon. Tell me, Little Bird, do you still want to go home? I can help you with that; all you have to do is ask and with a flick of a wrist all this would have been a very bad dream."

"Do not listen to her, Claire. Desire Demons excel at the art temptation; she will kill you."

"What do I do?" she repeatedly whispered under her breath, closing her eyes in terror. Tears streamed down her cheeks furiously as she clawed at her hair,

"Wake up, Claire. All you have to do is wake up."

* * *

Claire flew into an upright position, a cold sweat covering her body. Varric and Cassandra stood over her (or next to her in Varric's case), each wearing an expression of concern. Soals walked into view a few minutes later as Claire tried to shove her heart back into her chest from her throat,

"Are you alright?" Varric touched her shoulder gently. Claire nodded and rubbed the bridge of her nose,

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes."

The party descended into an uncomfortable silence, everyone shooting nervous glances at her. she rolled up her bedroll wondering why everyone was treating her like a bomb about to go off. Had she been screaming in her sleep; it seemed like the most likely answer, and the reason why Solas would invade her dreams. Which begged the question: how had he gotten into her dreams in the first place?

Eventually, they started off again. They passed most of the walk in wordlessness for the day, settling down only when the sun was just dipping below the horizon. Cassandra took first watch again after dinner, and a sinking stone fell into Claire's stomach as she thought about dreaming again.

* * *

Claire sat on the floor, arms locked around her knees staring at her door. The tiny space closed in on her from all sides,

"Torturing yourself will do you no good."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Snapped Claire as Solas appeared next to her, "And how the hell are you getting into my dreams anyway?"

"Anybody can manipulate the Fade with enough power, for this is the place all go when they dream. It is of no trouble to find you here."

"What do you want Solas?"

Much to her surprise the elf sat down next to her, crossing his legs, "I want to help. You're dreams are very loud and concerning to those we're traveling with."

"You're afraid of me getting possessed." she replied bluntly, the mage chuckled next to her,

"Hardly, not when the rifts allows demons to entering the material world willingly. I'm afraid of you getting killed; many demons would jump at the chance to feed off of you because of your otherworldliness."

"Is it because you care about my well being, or because I'm the only one who can close The Breach. You know what," Claire stopped the efl from replying with a wave of her hand, "Forget it, I really don't want to hear the answer. So if you want to help what do you get in return?"

"I'd like to know more of your world; it's strange from what I can gather from your dreams. For that information I'll help you."

Claire considered it for a moment, "Alright, but keep in mind there are some things I can't and won't explain."

"That is more than fair," Solas said with a dip of his head, "We'll start your lessons tomorrow night; for now it's best you wake up, it's well past dawn and Cassandra is getting impatient."

* * *

All in all it took a little more than four days to finally reach The Hinterlands. The camp the Inquisition had managed to set up was just over the next hill and Claire was glad to finally get a bit of rest, even if it was for a few minutes at best. They trudged into the makeshift camp and instantly a dwarven woman approached,

"The Herald of Andraste," she said in revered awe as she gave Claire a good once over, "I've heard the stories, we all have. We know what you did at the Breach, and we've heard the rumors about your… strange arrival." She straightened up a little and saluted her, "Inquisition Scout Harding at your service. I - all of us here - we're going do whatever we can to help."

From somewhere to her left Claire heard Varric start to chuckle, "Harding, huh? Ever been to Kirkwall's Hightown?"

"Can't say that I have. Why?" She replied unsurely,

"Really, cause you'd be Harding in - you know what, forget about it." Cassandra's disgusted snort was his only reply. With raised brows Claire returned her attention to Scout Harding,

"So I really don't know how these things go."

"Well, for starters the forward scouts were originally here to secure horses from Redcliffe's Horse Master. I grew up here, so you can trust me when I say that Dennet's herds are the strongest and fastest this side of the Frostbacks." Harding heaved a heavy sigh, "But the Mage-templar fighting here has gotten worse, and we couldn't get to him. Maker, we don't even know if he's alive."

"What about Mother Giselle?"

"She's down at the crossroads north of here helping refugees and the wounded. Our latest reports say that the fighting has spread there too. Corporal Vale and our men are doing all they can to help, but they won't last long."

"Well shit…" Claire muttered, "It couldn't be easy, could it? Anything else I should know?"

"Not at the moment, Inquisition has deployed me elsewhere but the men and women at this camp have established a decent foothold in the area. They'll defend it with their lives, so make use of the camp when you can and if you have the chance, help us extend our reach out here. The more base camps we have in the region the quicker we can send out troops for relief."

"Noted. Good luck out there, Scout Harding."

"I was about to say the same thing to you, don't go missing anything out there." Harding walked away with a chuckle as Claire threw up her hands in exasperation,

"Oh come on! Has everyone heard about me?!"

* * *

_**A/N: Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all my peeps and viewers. Here's your Christmas Present! It's just a filler of the sort, but it leads into the conversation with Mother Giselle and Claire's eventual trip to the Orlesian Capital. Next chapter will also present a major problem for Claire, but more on that then. Until the next update enjoy your Holiday and please be safe out there!**_

_**PathlessSpore**_


	6. Savin' Me

Voyage of the Dreamer  
Dragon Age: Inquisition Fanfiction  
Iron Bull/OC Inquisitor  
Romance/Adventure  
Chapter 5  
Savin' Me

_Show me what it's like_  
_To be the last one standing_  
_And teach me wrong from right_  
_And I'll show you what I can be_

_Savin' Me - Nickelback_

* * *

The dead lay in piles scattered across the winding road, and above all the air smelled of death. The blood soaked earth squished sickeningly beneath Claire's boots. She briefly observed the remnants of powerful magic in the form of gigantic ice pillars, but quickly turned away when she noticed the poor souls who had been staked by them. She fought the bile that threatened to leave her stomach, turning her gaze upwards at the blue sky above.

"Do you hear that?" Claire paused as Cassandra turned her head, in the distance they could hear the clashing of swords, and of cursing and yelling. The Seeker lunged forward, drawing her blade, forcing Claire and others to catch up to her.

When they rounded the corner they witnessed absolute carnage.

At a first look Claire wouldn't be able to tell what a Mage or a Templar looked like, but she knew innocent bystanders when she saw them. They were always the ones on the ground screaming, bleeding from a gut wound because they had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were the ones cowering in the corner praying not to be seen while the world fell apart around them.

"It's Corporal Vale and his men!" Cassandra, the fearless warrior she was, rushed headlong into the fray, "They're trying to protect the refugees! We have to help them!"

Claire wasn't brave like Cassandra, as her companions ran to the aide of the Inquisition's men and of the poor souls caught in the middle, the young redhead could only stand there dumbly holding her sword in hand. What was she supposed to do? She only had a few weeks of training and that did nothing to prepare her for something like this.

"No! Stay away from me!"

A girl, probably no older than Claire herself, was backed up against a tree. A warrior with a sword in hand bore down upon her. There was no time to think she jumped forward, timing slowing down as she put herself between the bystander and the blade, raising her shield to block the attack. The faceless warrior stumbled back against the block, and just like Cullen taught her she lashed out with the armament.

The soldier fell, his sword forgotten not a foot or two away. She stood over him, sword at her side as he glared up at her defiantly. Blue eyes stared back at her from beneath his helm, laced with just a hint of fear. Claire knew what she had to do; if the roles had been reversed she knew this man wouldn't hesitate.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

This man was a person, a living being. She didn't know him; for all she knew he could have a home and family waiting for him to come back. Who was she to take that away?

And her hesitation was all he needed. He lunged for his fallen sword, gripping the hilt as he took a clumsy and desperate swing at her. Claire saw the flash of steel cut at her in a wide arc. And she reacted too late, she understood that. She wouldn't be able to raise her shield in time; the blade would leave a deep wound across her chest. If she was lucky she'd bleed out in minutes with little pain.

If she wasn't…

But before the sword could reach her armor another caught it mid-swing. Cassandra snarled and braced to throw him back. As he tried to catch his balance she pierced his chestplate like it was paper and tore open his heart. Claire heard the blood spurt from his mouth, coughing and crying , and without mercy the Seeker finished the job.

"Claire?" The redhead stared down at the dead man, her sword still useless by her side, "Are you alright?"

Everything seemed far away; she wasn't upset that she had nearly died, at this point it seemed like courtesy. What she was most upset about was that fact that being part of this inquisition meant she had to kill. In modern society the only people who did this kind of stuff were psychopaths, people from third world countries, and well trained soldiers. And she was none of those things!

"Claire!"

"I'm fine," she lied quickly, snapping back to reality, "Help who you can, I'll go look for Mother Giselle."

"Claire…" The Seekers hand fell on her shoulder as she turned away,

"I'm fine, thanks though."

All in all it took her less than five minutes to find the woman, after been kindly pointed in the right direction. She climbed a short set of stairs to find a dark-skinned woman tending to an Inquisition Soldier. She had a kind aura about her, as she smiled gently him,

"There are mages here who can heal your wounds," she said softly, her accent french - or Orlesian in this case, "Lie still."

Whoever the young boy was struggled as a man in robes tried to approach, "Don't let him touch me, Mother. Their magic-"

"Is turned to noble purpose, their magic is surely no more evil than your blade."

"But…" Some of the fight disappeared from him, and the Chantry Mother placed a gentle hand on his forehead,

"Hush, dear boy, allow them to ease your suffering."

The woman stood and allowed the mage to take over, allowing Claire to approach, "Mother Giselle?"

"I am," she said with a bow of her head, "And you must be Claire, though I don't see anything demonic about you."

"Demon of the Fade, The Herald of Andraste, they're just names. Why did you ask me to come here? As far was the Chantry is concerned the Inquisition is nothing but a bunch of heretics."

The Mother studied her for a fraction of a second, a look of satisfaction crossing her eyes, "I have heard, but I do not believe that it is so. The Chantry is in shambles, and many have denounced you. I am familiar with many of them, and I won't lie to you. They are grandstanding, hoping to increase their chances in becoming the new Divine. Others are simply terrified. So many good people, senselessly taken from us…"

"So what, that's their excuse for ignoring the big problem in the sky? Blame somebody else? Don't they realize how stupid that is?"

"Fear makes us desperate," Said Giselle calmly, "But hopefully not beyond reason. Go to them in Val Royeaux. Convince the remaining clerics that you are no demon to be feared. They have heard only frightful tales; you must be the one to give them something else to believe. "

Claire shifted on her feet, "And that won't just make it worse?"

"Because you are from beyond the Fade?" She smiled gently at Claire, "Well then, let me put it this way. You needn't convince them all. You just need some of them to doubt. Their power is their unified voice; take that away and it will give you the time you need to seal The Breach."

"Thank you, Mother Giselle. I didn't think I'd find an ally within the Chantry considering my circumstances."

The Chantry Mother bowed her head, "I don't know what to make of you, Claire," she said, looking the young woman in the eye, "I cannot tell whether you have been touched by fate, or sent here by the Maker to help us, but...I hope it is you who can change everything. So far, you've given me every reason to believe it so."

She looked down upon the small town and Claire followed her line of sight. She spied the young girl she'd saved, talking and laughing with her small family. The redhead smiled gently,

"If it had been different, that Templar would have killed you."

"I know," Claire frowned, "It was him or me, and I couldn't do it. Does that make me weak?"

Mother Giselle replied with a chuckle, "You are asking me if I think mercy makes you weak? If so, my answer is no. Mercy is what will define you, and how you will help build the inquisition." It was quiet, stretching for a moment as Claire watched as Giselle seemed to come to terms with something, "I will go to Haven when your next rotation of Inquisition recruits comes through," She said, "And I will provide Sister Leliana with names of those in the Chantry who will be amenable to a meeting. I wish you luck, Claire, for I fear you will need it."

Claire watched as Giselle returned to tending the wounded, leaving her to stew in her own thoughts. They had gotten what they had come for, the information Mother Giselle would provide would be invaluable in the Inquisitions fight with the Chantry.

But what now?

Her mind wandered back to Scout Harding, didn't she say that the Inquisition was looking for Horse Master Dennett? And the refugees would definitely need some help getting set up at the crossroads. Suddenly, Claire felt the weight of the world settle on her shoulders like an old friend.

Where was she even supposed to start?

"Claire?" She turned around to find Casssandra, Solas and Varric approaching, "We've managed to settle in some of the refugees and set up the crossroads as a hub for the Inquisition. But we should probably talk to Corporal Vale to see what else we can provide." They looked at her, waiting for her to say something.

"Okay, so we go see Corporal Vale. Why is everything suddenly my decision?"

"You bear the-" started Solas calmy,

"Yeah, I bear the mark," snapped Claire hotly, "But that doesn't make me a leader. If anyone here is more qualified to lead it's Cassandra, so why aren't you bugging her?" They had no answer for her, exchanging looks at each other as Claire rubbed her eyes furiously, "And now you guys want me to talk to a bunch of Chantry Priests, as if it's nothing. In case you haven't noticed, that's like sending me into a wolf's den to die."

"That's why we're here to help, Spitfire," she smirked at Varric's other nickname, when Swing and a Miss was pushing it, "If you're going to be walking into a wolf's den we're going to be there every step of the way."

"For once," Said Cassandra, stepping forward to put a hand on her shoulder, "Varric is right, leadership is a quality both born and taught, and you are not without it."

Solas said nothing, and Claire didn't expect him to. He wasn't one to coddle when he expected more from her. But she didn't care, Varric's and Cassandra's support was more than enough for her. With a sigh she rubbed her face once more and with a roll of her shoulders nodded her head.

"Okay, so we've got a lot of ground to cover. The Inquisition still needs horses and right now our best bet is Horse Master Dennett."

"Redcliffe Farms, where he lives, is just up the King's Road; though we shouldn't forget about Corporal Vale, these refugees still need stability." Said Cassandra,

"Can they still survive a few more days?"

"Sure, a week at best," Said Varric, "But anything more than that is pushing it. They're low on food and other supplies."

"Alright, that's fine. Grab whatever Inquisition soldiers that can be spared. We're going to Redcliffe farms and we're going to see if we can establish a foothold or something."

"Now that sounds like a plan." Chuckled Varric as Cassandra ran off.

* * *

**_A/N: Shorter than my last few chapters, but I finally got it done! Yay! So I do hope you enjoy it enough to leave a review (CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM PLEASE), and thanks to those who reviewed, favorited, and alerted! Your support means the world to me._**

**_PathlessSpore_**

**_P.S. I'm in the process of looking for a Beta for this, and am totally open to those willing to volunteer. But it's not entirely necessary._**


	7. Immortals

Voyage of the Dreamer  
Dragon Age: Inquisition Fanfiction  
Iron Bull/OC Inquisitor  
Romance/Adventure  
Chapter 6  
Immortals

_Sometimes the only payoff for having faith_  
_Is when it's tested again and again everyday_

_Immortals - Fall Out Boy_

* * *

In the end, Claire's time in the Hinterlands spanned at least two and a half weeks; in which she freed a wolf pack from a demon's control, eradicated the Templar and Mage camps with the help of the Inquisition (though not once did she run anyone through, still unwilling to take a life), and managed to get some crude watch towers built so the Inquisition could have its horses. When she wasn't ridding the countryside of fade rifts and being chased up a trees by bears (and a very angry ram), she managed to help the refugees at the crossroads stabilize themselves. In return, many merchants traveled to Haven, bringing in some gold and equipment for the Inquisition.

Claire and the rest of her group were returning to Haven with the next rotation of soldiers. Getting through the Hinterlands was fairly easy as the land was wide and full of green with a few rock structures here and there. The land was perfect for the pastoral Fereldans. Elfroot was the most popular herb, and it allowed them to pick it for Adan, Haven's very own cranky alchemist. Really he was cranky, there wasn't a time he wasn't, but it was forgiven considering the circumstances that the Inquisition put him in. The four day travel was easier this time around though, with the added benefit of better horses.

One of which she was still trying to learn how to ride.

Claire and the four legged beast were having their own version of a standoff. They were resting, only a few hours away from Haven, and a small group had gathered to watch. It was safe to say she and animals never got along. It never matter what the species was, someone always ended up walking away hurt and most of the time it was her.

The horses' nostrils flared as it he snorted at her, his stance tense at he stared her down. Claire gulped as she held out her hands in a non-threatening manner, slowly approaching from the flank, her first mistake. She could hear a few of the scouts snicker as she got closer, flinching as the great beast pawed at the ground.

It came to the point where she had braced her hand on him, placing a foot into the stirrup. Claire glanced at him, his head cocked back to look at her. There was a look in his eye that she couldn't place, it almost seemed as if he wanted her to mount him. She stood frozen, waiting for anything to happen. When nothing did, she placed pressure on her foot and went to lift herself onto the saddle, just as she was taught.

Giving a loud whinny, the horse reared. He threw her from the saddle and onto her back, and she hit the ground with a resounding thud. The air left her lungs as a collective chuckle broke out from the crowd,

"That's it!" She snapped, pushing herself up to glare at the damned horse. It tossed its head and trotted away, "I give up, that horse is never going to let me ride it!"

"Aw, come on Swing and A Miss, you just have to keep trying!" Called Varric teasingly from the sidelines, a grin painting his smug face.

"I've been trying for the past four days!" She scowled as she flopped onto her stomach so she could roll onto her back. She glared up at the clear sky above her, trying to pin some of her problems the fact it was such a nice day out; which only made her bad mood worse. That was until a shadow fell over her, and Varric's hand was offered to her. She took it and allowed her dwarven friend to pull her to her feet.

Dusting off her pants, Claire and the rest of the caravan got moving again. By now she'd gotten used the long walks, with each step it became easier and her feet hurt less (which was always a plus). But the walking often let her mind wander, and that kind of monotony was not in her best interest.

Claire was still in some form of denial. When she had something to occupy her mind with, she could tell herself that it was just dream and she'd wake up eventually. Just go along with it, the age old advice she'd once gotten from a therapist. But when it was silent, and her mind free, she knew it was real.

And that thought terrified her. For all she knew there was no way home back to her mother.

Claire violently shook herself out of the depressing thoughts, reaffirming the idea that was all in her head, and she'd be in her bed one these days.

Haven came into view within a few hours, and suddenly Claire was looking forward to getting there. Sure her free time would be filled with books, and Cullen beating her across the training yard with a stick, but that was way better than Cassandra's harsh tutelage. As of this moment she preferred Cullen more.

"Come, Claire," Said Cassandra as they reached the gates, "Leliana and the rest of the advisers will already have convened. We should at least be present."

As usual the church was dark, depressing, and Claire could hear the trio of advisers bickering as soon as she stepped through the front doors,

"Having Claire address the Chantry Clerics is not a bad idea." Stated Josephine logically, to which Cullen huffed in exasperation,

"You can't be serious? You must realize that's like throwing her to the wolves!"

"But Mother Giselle is not wrong; at the moment, the Chantry's strength is that they're united in opinion."

"And we should just ignore the danger we'd be putting Claire in." Retorted Leliana,

"Let's ask her." Josephine announced Claire's arrival with a nod of her head, to which all eyes turned to the young redhead. She cursed under her breath and rubbed the back of her neck,

"Honestly, sending me to do this is a terrible idea, but my main concern is that talking to these people isn't even going to help. And what if they don't listen to me and I end up getting attacked? There are so many ways this can go wrong."

"Worry not, Claire," Said Cassandra, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I will be going with you, and I'm sure Solas and Varric will not allow you to go alone either. We have names," The Seeker addressed Leliana, "We should use them, in the meantime Claire pack whatever things you need. We'll be leaving for Val Royeaux in the morning."

Claire made to give one of her snarky remarks, but a commotion outside caught everyone's attention. Cullen cursed inventively under his breath and ran out the door. Curious, Claire was quick to follow after him.

Outside a small mob had formed, and above the yelling the redhead could see two men at each other's throats,

"Your kind killed the Most Holy!" Screamed a Templar; a balding mage scoffed at him,

"Lies - your kind let her die!"

"Shut your mouth, Mage!"

Claire gasped, frozen as she was sure a fight was going to break out. However, Cullen came to the rescue, stepping between the two fighting men, "Enough!"

"Knight-Commander?"

"That is not my title," Said the commander, rounding upon his Templar recruit, "We are not part of the order any longer. We are of the Inquisition now."

"And what does that mean, exactly?"

Claire grimaced as the crowd parted to let Grand Chancellor Roderick through. She stepped through the convening people to stand next to Cullen as the Chancellor continued his speech, "I'm curious, Commander, how the Inquisition and its "Herald" will restore order as you've promised."

"Of course you are," muttered Cullen as he rounded on the rest of the mob, "Back to your duties all of you!"

The crowd parted, albeit reluctantly, and Claire watched as the Templar and the Mage eyed each other yet again before slinking off into different corners of the camp. She made a mental note to keep an eye on those two. The Commander sighed through his nose,

"Mages and Templars were already at war," He said to her softly, "Now it would seem they blame each other for the Divine's death."

"Which is why we required the proper authority to guide them back to order."

"Who, you?" Cullen bit back coldly, "Random Clerics who weren't important enough to be at the Conclave?"

"The rebel Inquisition and the Demon who calls itself the "Herald of Andraste"? I think not." Spat Roderick,

"Hey!" Snapped Claire, stepping up the Chancellor, "I never claimed to be the Herald of Andraste, and you know what, if the "Proper" authority hadn't completely failed, the Conclave, and the rest of this mess, wouldn't have been needed in the first place!"

"So you suggest I blame the Chantry and exalt a murder? What of justice?"

"That won't restore order in the here and now." Argued Cullen, to which Roderick scoffed,

"Order will never be restored so long as this rebellion continues to fester."

Claire threw up her hands in defeat and turned to Cullen, "Try not to let anyone riot while I'm away," she said with a nudge of the arm. The Commander flashed her a smirk,

"The walls will still be standing when you return, I assure you."

* * *

All the description in the world could have never done Val Royeaux justice, or at least in Claire's opinion. She'd grown up in New York, the city that never slept, and she'd been down Broadway. She'd seen the shining spire of the Empire State building.

And none of that even held a candle to the Capital city of Orlais.

Even from a distance Claire was in awe. The towers of the city stood proudly against the blue horizon, alabaster marble and gold shining in the bright noonday sun. And the city was alive; there was an air of regality it held. As if it knew she was the queen of the world. And just like the city, her people were immaculate. Oh, how they dressed in fine gowns, their jewelry and masks adorned in gold. How they carried themselves proudly, heads held tall.

Or at least when they weren't shying away from Claire in a scandalized terror. An odd reaction for a city that was still mourning the late Divine,

"Just a guess, Seeker," said Varric as the crowds parted before them, "But I think they all know who we are."

"Your skills of observation never fail to impress me, Varric." Was Cassandra's dry reply, as the small group passed through the gates of the city. Claire could only stare slack jawed at the statues lined on either side,

"My Lady Herald," The redhead's attention snapped to a small woman she recognized as scout for the Inquisition. She quickly got down on a knee, to which Cassandra ordered her to reveal what she'd found,

"The Chantry Mothers await you, but so do a great many Templars."

"Whoa," Claire cringed and took a timid step backwards, "There are Templars here? I thought they all left the Order."

"As did we." Said Cassandra,

"People seem to think that they'll," The Scout paused nervously, "Protect them from the Inquisition. Everyone is gathered on the other side of the market; I think that's where the Templars intend to meet you."

"Only one thing to do, then," Cassandra said, with Claire hesitating in her wake, "Come, Claire, we mustn't keep the Mother's waiting."

The redhead sighed and followed after, "I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Yeah, you're not the only one." Varric replied. The single street led them into the sunny, open market and she could already see the crowd gathering. There were nervous butterflies in her stomach, and a part of her wanted to turn tail and run.

But people were already turning to face them. They whispered loudly behind their hands; eyes either glared at her accusingly or beheld her with a morbid curiosity,

"Good people of Val Royeaux," A woman dressed in Chantry robes stood upon a wooden platform, addressing the crowd. A few soldiers Claire recognized as Templars flanked her on either side, "Hear me." When she was sure she had the attention she needed her cold gaze snapped to Claire. The young woman gulped, "Together we mourn our Divine. Her naive and beautiful heart silenced by treachery. You wonder what will become of her murderer? Well wonder no more!"

Claire's stomach dropped dangerously as the scandalized voices of the crowd whispered and argued loudly. She noticed Cassandra and Varric step closer to her defensively, but the Chantry mother was far from finished, "Behold: the one who claims she is the Herald of Andraste, rising where our beloved fell! We say this is a false prophet, a wicked demon sent to tempt the hearts of men and lead us to ruin!"

"Demon?!" Snapped Claire, "The Herald of Andraste?! I never asked for any of those titles. I'm just someone who's trying to close the Breach, because the big hole in the sky that spits out real demons? Yeah, I think that's the bigger problem here!"

"It's true," Added Cassandra loudly, "The Inquisition seeks only to end this madness before it is too late!"

"It is already too late," The Mother spat, she pointed a finger to the approaching formation of men. Claire cringed at their armor and swords, knowing that these men were real Templars, "The Templars have returned to the Chantry! They will face this rebel 'Inquisition' and the people will be safe once again."

It happened so suddenly, their captain passed the Mother, never so much as a glance to her. And his subordinate, in one swift motion, landed a hard blow to the back of her head. The crowd screamed in horror as the Mother fell to the ground with a cry,

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" exclaimed Claire, an angry glare crossing her face. She didn't like the Mother all that much, but there was no way she deserved that assault, "What the fuck!"

"Still yourself," The Captain ordered to a nearby soldier, who looked a little less than pleased to have witnessed that, "She is beneath us."

"What the fuck," snapped Claire again, "Was that supposed to impress me or something, because it didn't work!"

The Leader chuckled down at her, "I came to see what makes Chantry Mothers cluck like hens, and I am not impressed."

"Lord Seeker Lucius-" Cassandra started towards the man as he made to leave, but he rounded on her dangerously,

"You will not address me."

There was something Claire didn't like about this man, his blatant disregard for the Chantry he was supposed to uphold aside. His face looked waxy and pale, like was sick,

"Lord Seeker?"

"Creating a heretical movement, raising up a puppet as Andraste's Prophet. You should be ashamed. You should all be ashamed! The templars failed no one when they left the Chantry to purge the mages!" Lucius pointed an accusing finger at them, "You are the ones who have failed! You who'd leash our righteous swords with doubt and fear. If you came to appeal to the Chantry, Demon of the Fade, then you are too late. The only destiny here that demands respect is mine!"

"What the f-" Claire rubbed her temples furiously, "I don't give two shits about some apparent destiny you believe you have, you sick hack. All I want is some sort of alliance that's going to seal the Breach. I swear talking to you people is like talking to a bunch of monkeys!"

"Hah, you hurl insults like a child, some Demon you are. The Breach is indeed a threat, but you do not have the power to do anything about it."

"Shit, it's like talking to a brick wall, but the wall would have a better answer for me."

They snarled at each other, Claire's earlier fears abandoned with this man's ungodly attitude. But the younger Templar from earlier rushed to his superior's side,

"But Lord Seeker, What if she really was sent by the Maker? What if-"

"You are called to a higher purpose," Commanded another recruit, who coldly passed Claire, "Do not question!"

"_I_ will make the Templar order a power that stands alone against the void. We deserve recognition. Independence."

"Oh yeah, and you totally get that by abandoning everything you ever stood for, persecuting innocent mages, and not to mention the poor people who get caught in the middle because you think they're mages."

Lucius shook his head, as if was finally washing his hands of her, "You have shown me nothing of your so called power, and the Inquisition? Less than nothing. Templars, Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection! We March!"

And they watched him leave. Claire growled and glared at the Lord Seeker's back, inventive curses barely muttered under her breath,

"Charming fellow, isn't he?" Varric said dryly,

"Has Lord Seeker Lucius gone mad?" Cassandra could only stare in shock at the empty street,

"Well, so much for asking the Templars for help."

"I wouldn't write them off entirely," The Seeker advised, "There may still be some left in the order who don't agree with the Lord Seeker."

With a shake of her head, Claire turned on her heel and walked up the wooden platform. The injured mother was surrounded by two of her lesser clerics. They reluctantly allowed Claire to approach, to which she knelt down next to the older woman,

"Are you okay?" The mother said nothing, tenderly touching the back of her head, and Claire turned to one of her clerics, "Can you get ice or something for her?"

When the young woman rushed off the Revered Mother looked up at Cassandra and scowled, "This victory must please you greatly, Seeker Cassandra."

The Seeker scoffed, "We came here only to speak with the Mothers; this is not our doing, but yours."

"And you had no part in forcing our hand," Retorted the older woman, the young cleric came back with a cloth wrapped around a chunk of ice. She gave it to the Mother, who was then helped to her feet, "Do not delude yourself. Now we have been shown up by our own Templars, in front of everyone, and my fellow clerics are scattered to the wind along with their convictions."

"Is that so surprising?" Said Claire, "They're scared just as you are, but that doesn't mean you guys have to make my job anymore difficult than it already is."

The older woman looked at her, really looked at her for the first time. She was silent for a heartbeat and a half before-,

"Tell me, if you truly don't believe you are the Maker's chosen, what are you?"

"I'm someone who's just trying to help."

The Chantry Mother almost seem to crack a smile, "That statement," she whispered, "Is more comforting than you know. I suppose it's out of our hands now," she sighed, "We shall all see what the Maker plans in the days to come."

"You know," Claire smirked, "It's not too late; you could still help us out and come out on top in all this."

This time the older woman did smile, in a sad sort of way, "Foolish girl, we not looking for a winning horse, we are simply trying to do the right thing."

"It's funny," Claire turned on her heel to walk away, "There's a thin line between doing the right thing and doing nothing."

She met her party back in the middle of the market, "Well what do we do now?" She questioned, to which Varric and Solas shrugged. Cassandra however tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully,

"It would be prudent to at least spend another day in the Capital; to stock up on supplies and to see if there are any volunteers for the Inquisition."

"Well alright then," She turned to walk out into the open market, "Is there any place that will let us stay around, because we-"

Claire stopped short with a scream as arrow dug itself into the ground mere inches away from her feet. She leapt back, cursing loudly, fighting to keep her heart in her chest. When she managed to regain a little composure she noticed a note attached to the shaft. It was short with a bunch of doodles, which made it hard to read aloud,

_"People say you're special. I want to help, and I can bring everyone._

_There's a baddie in Val Royeaux. I hear he wants to hurt you. Have a search for the red things in the market, the docks, and 'round the cafe, and maybe you'll meet him first. Bring swords._

_Friends of Red Jenny"_

"Friends of Red Jenny?" Claire furrowed her brow at the poor drawing of the locations she was supposed to search, and looked up at Cassandra, who shrugged,

"Some resistance group, what they're resisting is a matter of debate. I'd be more concerned about who's trying to kill you."

"It says to look for red things, I have a feeling this is gonna be a pain in the ass in this city." Claire frowned with a look around, Varric chuckled,

"Should be fun, right?"

"Yeah," replied the redhead sarcastically, "Ooodles."

* * *

**_A/N: Yay! My next Chapter is out. I'm so happy, and I couldn't have done it without my wonderful Beta reader: EbonySapphire. Everyone please take the time to thank them! So move forward to the story, and towards Claire's eventual meeting with The Iron Bull. I know some of you want me to jump straight into it, I wish I could but it would be a very poor story indeed if I didn't lay out proper groundwork. But don't worry, it's coming soon._**

**_Thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, and alerted my story. Your support means the world to me, and do stay tuned. and please leave CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM in the review box below._**

**_PathlessSpore_**


	8. Break

Voyage of the Dreamer  
Dragon Age: Inquisition Fanfiction  
Iron Bull/OC Inquisitor  
Romance/Adventure  
Chapter 7  
Break

_Break! Away from everybody_  
_Break! Away from everything_  
_If you can't stand the way this place is_  
_Take yourself to higher places_

_Break - Three Days Grace_

* * *

Rain, of course it had to be rain. The Fereldans named it the Storm Coast for a reason, so Claire didn't have a lot of room to complain. She was slowly starting to realize Thedas was just a land that ranged from one extreme to another, and she often found herself wondering if there was anything remotely normal here.

But then again, she didn't have a basis for comparison when it came to normal.

Like Sera, a recent addition to the Inquisition, and an elf who insisted on following Claire all across Orlais and Fereldan instead of going straight to Haven. It took a few minutes for Claire to understand her language, and most of the time she didn't understand half of what came out of the quirky blonde's mouth. From what she could gather, Sera was an elf who was part of The Friends of Red Jenny. They did odd jobs here and there, but mostly they concentrated on nobles who picked on their lessers.

And there was nothing more Sera loved than sticking it to the nobles.

The elf was an odd woman, (her impossible to follow speeches notwithstanding), she had an odd way of doing things. Like the first night they met, after Claire had found the Noble who wanted her dead,

"Just say 'What'!"

It was impressive shot, albeit disgusting. Claire certainly turned green watching the blood pour out from the wound. Oh, and there was the no pants thing. Claire didn't want to see anything like that again. She was still blushing furiously despite the obnoxious elf laughing at its hilarity.

But if there was one noble, or as noble as a mage can be, that Sera hated more than anyone it was Vivienne.

Madame Vivienne De Fer, Enchanter of the Orlesian Imperial Court, and a connoisseur of the finer things in life. She was tall, elegant woman who carried herself proudly. Straight laced when it came to the mages, and surprisingly closed minded when it came to the subject of the Mage rebellion, Madame De Fer was a little hard to get along with. But she was dedicated to a cause when she wanted to be, and readily offered advice even when it wasn't wanted. Witty, smart, and hardly deterred by anything, Claire found herself kind of admiring the older woman.

And she cared as little about Sera as much as the elf hated the mage. It was hilarious as the young woman tried to get a rise out of Vivienne only to be shot down coldly.

The group was traveling down the roughhewn path, the rain falling down steadily. The air had a heavy metallic scent to it as thunder rumbled in the distance every so often. Her cloak was almost soaked through as she pulled her hood around her face better,

"Gah, stupid rain making me cold and slimy…" grumbled Sera,

"Maybe you should wear something so you don't get wet, darling." Advised Vivienne, tugging her fine silk coat around her with the hood thrown up. Sera glared at her and crossed her arm, determined to spite the mage. Madame De Fer shrugged, and they continued on in silence.

They had traveled like so for the last few days. Prior they had been on the main road from Orlais, resting at an Inquisition camp. It was decent sized as it was aiding refugees from the Civil War. They checked in with a Requisition Officer who promptly handed Claire a tightly sealed scroll, and pointed her to a young man wearing armor.

In short, the mercenary introduced himself as Cremissius Aclassi, and shot a very interesting Sales Pitch about the Bull's Chargers Mercenary Company. He offered free information about Tevinter Mercenaries (to which Cassandra became very interested in), and wrapped up the conversation so he could join his Commander waiting for him on the Storm Coast. When it was finished Claire opened the Sealed Letter and found a note from Leliana instructing her to hear out the emissary from the Bull's Chargers, help out Scout Harding while she was out on the coast, and while she was returning to Haven find a Grey Warden by the name of Blackwall who had been seen heading towards the Hinterlands.

Needless to say she had a lot on her plate at the moment. Not only were the templars a problem, she had a strange visit from leader of the rebel mages in Val Royeaux who had invited her to Redcliffe for a meeting, and as amicable as the woman seemed Claire shouldn't shake the feeling something was off.

They followed the path for another hour, before breaking through the foliage to the small Inquisition Camp. Claire immediately found Scout Harding,

"Nice to see you again," She called as she approached, the dwarven woman turned to her with a smile,

"Nice to see you too, Claire," she replied, "Welcome to the Storm Coast."

"Aptly named," Replied the redhead sarcastically, "Why in the world is the Inquisition all the way out here?"

"We first came here at Spymaster Leliana's request; she'd had been given reports about Grey Wardens in the area. When we arrived, however, we found a group of bandits operating in the area. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, but we're a small party so far and they know the area better than us. A small group of soldiers left not too long ago to try and negotiate with them. From what we gathered, they have a small outpost somewhere in the hills to the west. But," She paused and rubbed her eyes, "They haven't returned yet…"

"Well, shit, why am I not surprised? Umm, have you seen a mercenary company gather nearby, I'm supposed to meet their leader?"

"Yeah, their lieutenant reported in to us a few hours ago, and gave us the information on the Tevinter Mercenary Camp they're supposed to hit. We did some scouting, they're down the way towards the beach, and small in numbers so it shouldn't be too much trouble."

"Fantastic, thanks Harding, try and stay warm out here."

"You too, Claire," Chuckled the small woman, "Try and take in the sea air, I hear it's good for the soul."

The young woman turned back to her party, who were already making themselves comfortable. Sera was sitting on the ground shivering violently, while Cassandra quickly threw a basic cloak at her,

"Stop being stubborn," She snapped, "You're going to get yourself killed." The elf shot her an evil glare, but put on the cloak nonetheless.

The party quickly decided who was staying at camp and going out with Claire. Varric would be staying behind with Vivienne. He was tired from the long walk, and wanted a few hours rest before trekking the wet countryside. Sera, not wanting to be within five feet of the Orlesian Mage, opted to follow her, Cassandra, and Solas.

They bid farewell and set off down the path towards the beach. Claire was actually kind of excited. She was about to meet an actual Qunari. She'd read up on them, heard the terrifying (albeit somewhat prejudiced) stories, seen roughly drawn pictures, but she was looking forward to actually meeting a live one.

They heard the fighting from way up the path; they all exchanged glances with each other and quickly advanced to see if they could help. It turned out it was needed, just as they crested the ridge they saw the last of the Tevinter Men being cut down by the Chargers, identified by the emblem on their armor. The soldiers noticed their approach, but didn't seem all too worried as they recognized the Inquisition symbols Cassandra's shield,

"Your Worship," The Chargers' lieutenant approached, bloody and slightly bruised, and gave her a short dip of his head, "I'm glad you could make it."

"It's good to see you, Cremissius," Replied Claire, dropping her hood so they could see each other better, "Your Commander wanted to speak with me, where is he?"

She watched as his eyes suddenly flicked up behind her, and that prompted her to turn around. She instantly came face to chest with a dark skinned male, and she allowed her eyes to travel upwards. They widened at surprise, suddenly feeling very small against the horned Qunari that towered over her. He had an eye patch over his left eye, scars covering some of his face, neck, and much of his body,

"Fuck, you're tall!" She blurted out before she could stop herself. The Iron Bull gave her a cocky grin before turning his attention to Cremissius,

"Krem, how'd we do?"

"Five wounded, no dead, Chief."

"Now that is what I like to hear. Have the throat cutters finish up, then break out the casks."

Krem walked away, leaving Claire and the Iron Bull together. The rest of her party had walked off to help the Chargers tend their wounded, and in Sera's case, help them open their casks of alcohol. Claire had yet to get over how dwarfed she felt by the large Qunari, and he didn't fail to notice,

"If I sat down, would it make you feel better?" He snickered,

"Kinda." Claire squeaked. She followed him over to a large rock, where he sat down and made himself comfortable. Even then he was still huge, his broad shoulders hunched over as he rested his arms on his legs,

"So you're the infamous Demon of the Fade? Not really what I expected." He smirked at the heated glare that crossed Claire's features, and he held out his large hands in a placating gesture, "But I don't believe stories unless I see it for myself. I can tell you're no demon."

"Glad I have your seal of approval," She snarked, "So, I can guess you're The Iron Bull."

"Yeah, the horns usually give it away. Claire, right? This your first time meeting a Qunari?" The young redhead nodded, eyes trailing back up to his horns. Bull chuckled, "Then I'll try to make your first time as painless possible."

Claire felt the heat rush to her cheeks at the arrogant grin of his, and quickly cleared her throat. Thankfully Krem came back,

"Throat Cutters are done, Chief." He reported,

"Already, check again. I don't want any of those Tevinter bastards getting away. No offense, Krem." He smirked, to which his lieutenant shook his head and smiled,

"None taken. At least a bastard knows who his mother was. Puts him one up on you Qunari, eh?" He snickered as he walked away. Bull turned back to her and pointed to the bodies,

"So, this is our handy work. We're expensive, but we're worth it."

"Expensive, just how much money are we talking here?" Claire replied, crossing her arms.

"Personally? Nothing. You're Inquisitions' ambassador would take care of the payments, all you really need to know is that we're definitely worth it."

"Well," Claire looked over their work once again, brushing the wet curls out of her face, "The Chargers seem like a capable company."

"As they should," replied Bull proudly, "I am their commander after all. But you won't be getting just the boys, you'll be getting me."

"And that means what, exactly?"

"I'm a simple man, and I like to be where the action is. Now you? I can tell you're going places where there's going to be a lot of it. So, I want in; besides I have a feeling you're gonna need a frontline bodyguard."

Claire scoffed, and rolled her eyes, "You, me, and everyone else. Well if you're serious about that offer then welcome aboard. I'm not really in a position to turn away help, even if we are paying you."

"Perfect," Bull stood, once again dwarfing Claire with his massive size. She made a mental note to question Varric about this feeling later, "Just one more thing; don't know if you understand what it means, since according to rumor you're not from around here, but I think you should at least know. You ever hear of the Ben-Hassrath."

She'd gone over basic information on the Qunari, and the term sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She frowned and shook her head,

"I'm not really familiar with your culture, so what is it?"

"An order within the Qunari, technically it's the priesthood, but they handle information, loyalty, security; you know, the works."

Claire frowned as a confused look passed over her face, "So your priesthood is a network of spies?" She questioned slowly, when Bull didn't answer her realization began to dawn, "You're a spy?!"

"The Ben-Hassrath are concerned about the Breach, magic running wild tends to get their horns tied into knots. Under their orders I'm supposed to join, and get close to your superiors so I can send back information."

"You're a spy." Stated Claire dumbly, Bull shrugged,

"Yeah, I also get reports back from my superiors, and I'd be more than willing to share it with your advisors."

"That's all well good, but what blows my mind is that you're a spy and you just told me! I'm pretty sure that's not how this works."

The Iron Bull chuckled, "Even if I didn't tell right off, I'd been found out sooner or later. Do you really think I could keep that information hidden from something named The Inquisition?"

His statement gave her pause for thought, to which she conceded to his point,

"Alright, you got me there. My next big worry is what you're gonna spill about us."

The Qunari nodded thoughtfully, "Don't worry, anything I report back will only be just enough to satisfy them. If you're really worried about it, I'll run everything by your spymaster, Leliana."

"You know about her?"

He pretended to be hurt, "Hey, I like to think I'm a decent spy; I've done my research," A wink paired with a cocky grin crossed his features, "Besides, I have a thing for redheads."

The large Qunari laughed as the heat pooled into her cheeks. As he went to gather his company, Claire took the time to address hers. It took less than a minute to explain the situation; to Cassandra and Solas at least, Sera had gotten a little enthusiastic with the Chargers after battle celebration and was well beyond inebriated. They had to drag her back to camp, and Varric, after a rest was ready to go.

Cassandra wasn't pleased to find out that Bull was a spy for the Ben-Hassrath, and insisted that she accompany Claire on the trek through the wilderness. Solas opted to follow as well, and the party of five set off into the hills. The rain, which had been a light drizzle before, began to fall heavier, prompting Claire to pull her hood up over her head again,

"Hey, Bull," she jogged to catch up to the large Qunari, who gave her a sidelong glance as she struggled to match his long strides, "Can you tell me about the Qunari?"

"What, those fancy tutors of yours not cover our religion?" He replied, his eyes turning back to the brush. Claire shrugged,

"I'd prefer to hear about the Qun from someone who actually follows it."

"Well, to actually tell you about the Qun would require a few days and a lot of Qunari words you wouldn't understand. So," he rolled his shoulders, his large mace like warhammer slung easily on his shoulder, "We'll begin with what you already know, and go from there."

"Okay, so you have three leaders."

"Correct, Arishok, Ariqun, and Arigena. Do you know what branches they represent?"

"Umm," Claire paused thoughtfully, "The Arishok, he's like your military leader. Your Arigena, he's the head of the merchants and stuff. And the Ariqun, he's your priest, right?"

"You got it, but for future reference the Arigena is never male under the Qun."

The conversation carried on, Claire repeating what she had learned and Bull cutting in every once in a while to correct her. It had helped pass the time as they searched through the trees. Eventually, conversation ceased with the sound of raised voices ahead. Everyone slowed their gait and crept through the underbrush. They chanced a glance at the clearing ahead, littered with fallen trees and two ruined buildings,

"Five men," Whispered Cassandra, drawing her sword and shield, "Two mabari at best. What should we do, Claire?"

All eyes were on Claire. Even though she really wasn't the strongest or the smartest, all decisions seem to come down to her all because of the mark upon her hand. It was unnerving to have that kind of pressure riding on her shoulders; there would be consequences for her bad choices and she wasn't sure if she could handle that.

But if there was a way this could end peacefully, she'd take it in a heartbeat,

"We should try and talk, maybe we can reason with them?"

"Doubtful," Cassandra replied, "We wouldn't be looking for our missing scouts otherwise. We should surround the encampment, sweep in, and finish them before they know what's happening."

"I am not going to resort to violence!" Hissed Claire angrily. The party cringed as the dogs began to bark. Their breathing stilled as they crouched motionless in the underbrush. When the danger had passed, after five long minutes, they all breathed a sigh of relief,

"If a decision is to be made," Advised Solas, "You must make it soon; we'll not hold the element of surprise for long."

Claire's mind raced, a cold sweat breaking out across her brow. Unexpectedly, Bull pulled Claire to her feet,

"Get to the other side of the camp and stay hidden, if it looks like a fight charge in." He quickly addressed the rest as he drug her towards the group of men. As the dogs began to growl he pushed her into the front and whispered at her,

"You don't wanna fight, that's fine, so we do this on our terms and use what we got. Just follow my lead."

She nodded and rolled her shoulders as the group of men advanced with their swords drawn. As she gazed at them she couldn't help noticing something wrong. Of the five of them three looked out of place. Normally, Claire couldn't tell armor apart with the exception of hers; but these pieces looked special. They had ornate crests proudly displayed, almost as if they were Chantry issued armor. Two of the men wore them like they were a second skin; the other three didn't look at all normal in them.

And that struck Claire as odd,

"State ye business, wench!" Spat one, he was missing a few teeth and sported a receding hairline. Two of his cohorts laughed, the others stayed stoically grim. In response Claire saw Bull straighten his height, and he gripped his warhammer threateningly

"Watch your tongue, you're speaking to The Herald of Andraste," He growled. The two men, both blonde with expensive looking swords, glanced at each other. Their weapons lowered only a fraction of an inch as their hands signaled the dogs to heel, "I don't know about this, boss, I say we kill 'em and move on."

"No," Claire sternly glanced at Bull, taking his cue, "I said no violence, and I mean it. We're going to talk this out." She turned back to them, her eyes catching movement in the brush behind them. Cassandra, Varric, and Solas were in position in case something was to go wrong.

That made her feel a little better.

"I take it you're the ones who are attacking my men?"

"What of it?" Snapped the man with missing teeth,

"I want you to stop," demanded Claire, "We're not here to cause any trouble to you."

"Aw, we would, sweetheart," he gave her a evil grin, approaching with his sword. Bull tensed at her side, halting him a half a step, "But your soldiers carry some nice supplies, and we need those to survive out here. We tried to ask nicely at first, but your boys are stubborn."

"I doubt you asked nicely," she glared at them, her hand reaching for her sword, "But I am, leave my men alone and no harm is going to come to any of you."

A breeze passed through the trees; Claire could hear her heart thunder in her ears. She hoped they'd just back down,

"No deal."

Everything happened in a flash; the three men jumped forward, and Claire ducked under her shield to block the blow. Bull's warhammer caught her attacker in the chest, sending him backwards with a sickening crunch. The two other men, however, were having swords removed from their chests by their stoic, blonde companions.

The Iron Bull moved to attack them, but Claire threw out her arm, "Wait," he stopped, looking back at her. She strapped her shield back onto her back and approached the duo, "You're not like the other three. You don't look 'wrong'."

They both knelt before Claire, fist against their chests in a salute, "Yes, M'lady, please forgive us for our inaction. We should have killed Bronson and his cohorts as soon as you introduced yourself."

"What are your names?" She motioned to the underbrush, and Cass and the rest of her party appeared with weapons still drawn. The dogs growled, and bared their fangs but were promptly silenced by their masters.

"James, your worship, and this is my friend Callum."

"You know, you're pretty reasonable for a bunch of bandits. Why weren't you the one who talked to me, we could have reached an agreement instead of this mess." She crossed her arms with a cocked brow,

"Because we're not bandits, at least not most of us. We are a group of men and women called The Blades of Hessarian."

"You named yourself after the man who killed Andraste?" Cassandra replied, "If you're not bandits, then you're certainly religious fanatics."

"Isn't that the Inquisition, the Templars, and even the Chantry itself considered?" Bit back Claire, "Just let the man speak please?"

"As I said we are a militia of men and women, and we are a weapon to be used by Andraste and anyone chosen by her. Under normal circumstances we would have not bothered the Inquisition camps and their soldiers, but things have changed in the past few months."

"Like?" Prompted Claire, James hesitated,

"We operate under one leader, whose orders are absolute, our previous one was an honorable man who sought to help others and strike down the corrupt. However, a few months ago, an outsider learned of our traditions and rules and challenged him to a one on one fight."

"The outsider won, I take it?"

"Yes, and now he's turned our order into everything I've fought against. Please, your worship, you must bring this to an end and purge the ranks of our order. If you do this, the Blades of Hessarian are yours to command."

The group convened quickly, "Alright," Claire said, "What do you think?"

"Take it," Varric advised, "You'd be stupid not to."

"He's got a point," Added Bull, "Not only do you solve this problem, you get a free group of swords for hire out here on the Coast."

"That's what worries me," blurted in Cassandra, "Religious fanatics hardly make good soldiers for any cause."

Solas shook his head and leaned on his staff, "I doubt that would be an issue with these Blades of Hessarian. You heard the boy, they only employ themselves to who they think are worthy. Who is more worthy than the Herald of Andraste?"

Cassandra hesitated for a moment before nodding her head, "You have a point, but the choice is ultimately up to you, Claire."

She mulled it over for a moment, before nodding, "We'll go see what this guy is about." She turned around and approached James and Callum, "Alright, tell us where your main camp is and we'll talk to your leader."

"M'lady," James butt in, "That man will not listen to you."

"I'm not going to use violence to solve all my problems, James," Claire shook her head, "Just tell me where your camp, please?"

He pulled out a rough drawn map of the area and pointed to an inlet further west. They would have to follow the Beach in order to get there, and would be quite a walk,

"One more thing," Claire said before James and Callum could depart, "Where are our scouts?"

The duo gave each other a glance before they walked to one of the ruined buildings. They pushed the door in and allowed her to step through. She gagged at the smell and closed her eyes.

"Shit…" she heard Varric mutter.

"Callum and I meant to return them, Your Worship, unharmed. But Bronson slit their throats before we could stop him."

Claire left the building before she got sick. James and Callum left with their dogs, leaving the rest of the party to deal with the bodies of their scouts. There were only three of them; Cassandra took one while Bull threw the other two over his shoulders. Evening was falling as they returned to their camp on the beach.

Dinner was quick and quiet, and Claire turned in not long after finishing her meal. She tried getting comfortable on the cold and hard ground for about an hour. Afterwards, after opting to lie on her back, she felt herself drifting into blissful sleep.

* * *

Claire sat on the floor of her bedroom, flipping through one of her old scrapbooks. It had been years since she'd looked through it, even longer since she'd added to it. Many of the pictures were missing, the Fade giving her only what she could remember, but what was left behind made her smile. Solas was sitting next to her observing the pictures; he marveled at their reality and clarity, asking how this was possible.

Claire tried to give him the answer he wanted, but her understanding of the camera was minimal at best. He understood, and they continued on with the history of Earth and her continents. They were just getting to the end of the Revolutionary War when there was a loud knock on her bedroom door.

The duo looked at the door, Claire more nervously than Solas; this had been an ongoing lesson for the past few days. They would stay in her bedroom, talking of her world, until a curious spirit would knock on her door. Solas had told her the only reason demons appeared to her was because she expected them to, and because of the corrupting influences she had over them.

The desire demon she'd encountered before had once been a spirit curious about Claire. Her desire to return home had corrupted the spirit until she'd driven it mad. Solas would not teach her how to explore the Fade until she learned how to interact with the denizens of the Fade.

"Don't be nervous, Claire," Advised Solas as she stood to answer the door. He followed behind, but not close enough to tread on her heels. He only interfered with the lesson if the spirit turned out to be a demon, "Keep your mind clear, and everything will work out."

There was another knock, and Claire's hand hesitated nervously on the doorknob. With a deep breath she cleared her mind as best she could. The door swung upon and she quickly stepped back to let in the flickering spirit. From what she could tell it was dressed in fine robes and appeared female,

"Greetings," It said, "You are the wanderer?"

Claire looked back at her elven companion nervously, "She's not talking to me, Claire." He said, to which the young redhead turned her attention back to it,

"Yes." Was her hesitant reply,

"I wish to understand you," it said, talking a long stroll around her room to look at her things. Claire eyed it as it stopped to observe her posters, "As I am sure you wish to understand me."

"Yeah, is there anything in particular you want to know?"

It turned to her, hands folded neatly on its stomach, "There is much wisdom in many things, but I find the oral stories of people to hold many experiences."

Claire felt herself perk up, "So like songs?"

"If it pleases you, may I look into your memories?"

That gave Claire a pause for thought. Letting in the Spirit could pose risks, like possession or it devouring her. It seemed to read her thoughts for a moment, shifting ever so slightly,

"Claire, stop it!" Solas warned, she shook herself of her thoughts, and swallowed,

"Alright, just make it quick."

With the next few seconds it had stepped towards her, a single hand held out to touch her forehead. Claire gasped as its cool fingers skin. She felt it brush across her memories, songs that she hadn't heard in so long she had nearly forgotten they existed. And nearly every single one of them had her mother in it.

Small lullaby's Sally used to sing at her bedside, epics she'd hum cleaning the house or making dinner. And they made her sad; thinking of her mother being out there somewhere worrying over her made her heart feel heavy. The Spirit stepped away, quiet for a moment before it softly said,

"What do you wish to learn from me?" But Claire didn't have the desire to ask any questions. She simply shook her head and turned away, "I regret not parting any of my wisdom to you, but it is understandable. Farewell, Wanderer."

The spirit closed the door behind it, leaving her behind with Solas. Sensing the sadness in the air the elf parted with nary a word through her door. Claire sat back down on the floor, the scrapbook opened to a picture of happier times, and she softly sung under her breath until dawn beckoned her to wake.

* * *

"Fuck damn," Snapped Claire, adjusting her hood, "Does it ever stop raining?" Her boots sloshed through the wet sand as her party made their way down the beach. It was early morning, the dawn just breaking over the horizon. Or so Cassandra had said as she dragged Claire from her tent. If they wanted to be able to meet the Hessarian Leader at a decent time they had to start early.

The ocean roared and crashed onto the shore yards away, the wind turning the sea violently. Claire had no desire to get any closer, lest the waves crash over her and drag her out to sea. And needless to say she couldn't swim, even without her heavy ass armor on.

"It does," Assured the Iron Bull next to her, his Warhammer strapped to his back, "You just have to be up late enough when it happens."

"Well, let's hurry this up." Claire picked up her pace slightly, "The faster we get this over with, the faster we can get somewhere remotely dry."

Her party today consisted on Solas, Varric, Iron Bull, and Cassandra. Vivienne wanted to stay behind at camp, and Sera was still passed out from the day before. For most of the morning they trudged along, Varric and Iron Bull talking to each other quite amicably. Her Dwarven friend shared her disbelief at Bull's profession, often commenting on it.

Around mid-morning, as they were rounding the last of the beach, a loud thunderous roar shook the area. Claire paused for half a heartbeat, looking around cautiously,

"That was thunder, right?"

Her companions gave each other glances, "Just let her find out on her own." Cassandra advised, to which Bull and Varric chuckled,

"Can't wait to see her reaction." The Qunari chuckled, to which the dwarf replied with,

"Five royals says she shits her pants."

"What are you guys talking about?" Claire felt immensely left out as her friends continued on, leaving quite dumbfounded as the echoes of the strange thunder rumbled in the distance. She quickly followed after them, only catching up because they stood at the entrance of a cave.

"More than likely it goes through," Solas remarked, "You can feel the draft."

"I don't doubt it, but I don't want to rile up what may be living inside." Cassandra noted as Claire looked in curiously,

"Well if we just take it slow and feel along the wall we should be okay, right?" She pushed onward, Cass stuttering behind her,

"We really shouldn't-"

"Aw, come on Cass," snickered Claire as she disappeared into the shadows, "What's the worst thing that could be here? Giant Spiders?"

* * *

Claire was in a tree; how she got there was a matter of debate because she couldn't remember climbing it. All she knew is that she didn't want to get down, because the enormous arachnid that had chased her out of the cave was still at the base of the tree.

Granted it was dead, thanks to Bull, but she wasn't getting down until the body was gone,

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" She screamed as Cass and Varric took a leg and dragged it away. Bull was beneath her trying not to laugh as she held onto the limb for dear life, "What, was it some kind of joke between you guys? Cause it's not fucking funny!"

"Then don't go down into the Deep Roads, Swing and a Miss," Called Varric from the underbrush, "They're even bigger down there!"

"I didn't know you could run that fast," Chuckled the large Qunari beneath her, lazily resting his bloody Warhammer on his shoulder. "Especially with all that armor you're wearing."

"Yeah, yeah," Muttered Claire angrily under her breath as she eased her way out of the tree, "Laugh it up." Cass and Varric returned just as she planted both feet on the ground,

"Any more nasty ass surprises you wanna warn me about?" She snarked, and again they all exchanged that 'Look'." She shook her head angrily and turned to Bull, "Alright, you first." She said, and with the Qunari still chuckling he led them in.

Going through the cave was fairly easy; they kept to the wall and walked along slowly. Thankfully the nest of spiders Claire had disturbed earlier stayed silent. The hard part, however, was just near the exit of it;

Darkspawn…

Nasty, smelly, ugly, fangy, decaying, pointy Darkspwan.

"Mother fucker! What is that?!" Claire snarled. First the spiders and now this mess, why was it that she could never catch a break.

Cassandra wrinkled her nose in annoyance, "Darkspawn, stand ready!"

"Well shit, thought I'd seen the last of these bastards after the expedition." Varric chimed in.

Claire shook her head as she put her shield up in her right hand and her sword in her left. Her left foot forward where her weight rested.

This was her first time seeing the famed and feared darkspawn. They were monsters, she could see it in their eyes. Soulless sockets revealed one purpose to her; to kill. Not like humans and the other races where it was out of desperation or malcontent. These creatures were indoctrinated, mindless moving shells. They had no purpose for living except for killing.

And that very thought scared her.

Suddenly, everyone moved; Bull led the charge as he struck the Alpha Hurlock with his giant hammer. Cassandra followed right after him with Claire in behind her, while Solas and Varric launched a volley of arrows and magic form the rear.

Claire tried to focus on the movement of the battle, enemies that came close to her were quickly struck down by her companions, the most that she did was block with her shield or sword.

She was so focused on the action the in front of her, she failed to notice the Hurlock creeping up behind her until it knocked her to the ground.

The force of the hit caused her to drop of her sword, and it skittered across the cold stone with a loud clatter. Realizing she was in extreme imminent danger, she had the mind to throw up her shield to stop the incoming attack.

"Hold on, Claire!"

She didn't know who called out to her, but all she knew was that she had to hold this monster off until she was rescued.

The Hurlock snarled and screamed as it clawed at her furiously, trying to break through her defenses. And despite the fact she was terrified beyond belief, Claire took a deep breath and with all her strength pushed her shield forward and threw the creature off of her.

Quickly, she rolled away to the right, reaching for her sword. Once it was in her grasp she turned to face the creature sword in hand. Thankfully, she had to do no more because the darkspawn was so close it impaled itself upon her sword. Her arms were shaking; forget that, her whole body was shaking. Its body came to a halt, face still in that terrible grimace.

Seeing that the creature was dead her whole body relaxed with a great sigh of relief, or at least until she found herself on her back crying in terror.

It snarled viciously as it tried to claw at her face. With the little strength she had, she did her best to keep it away. Then it stopped, dead this time with a spiked hammer embedded in its body.

She followed the axe up to the hand that was wielding it; The Iron Bull had saved her life.

Bull pulled his Warhammer from the body and stared her down, "Not bad, but next time you'll want to make sure your enemy is really dead before you relax."

And with that he extended his hand, an offer to help her up. She took his giant warm calloused hand and stood up shakily.

Looking back at the dead darkspawn made her sick, to think that the putrid creature was so close to killing her, it churned her stomach real bad. "Let's get outta here…"

They left the cave as quickly as possible without as much as a backwards glance. When they were outside again she heaved a huge sigh of relief, and a smile painted her face as she lead her companions down the beach. They walked in the wet sand; Solas strode by her side and every once while he pointed out Black Lotus and Spindleweed, which were useful for tonics.

However, the smile that Claire was wearing quickly turned into a stare with an expression somewhere between shock, awe, and terror.

She'd grown up with stories, of both creatures! To see a giant and a dragon in real life was amazing, inspiring, and all the more horrifying once she realized what the source of the mysterious thunder was,

"Holy shit is that… is that what made that noise earlier, a freakin' dragon?!" Claire exclaimed, Solas, Cassandra, and Varric held back their grins at Claire's strong reaction. Bull on the other hand was elated,

"Dragon territory, Oh this is gonna be fun!" He practically purred.

Claire look at him like he had lost his mind, "Are you nuts? No, nuh-uh, no way, no dragon slaying today, buddy."

"Oh come on boss, it'll be fun!" Insisted the giant Qunari, Claire cocked a brow at him,

"Yeah for the dragon, while it spits fire and eats us! Alive, mind you!" From behind the dragon braced and shot out arcs of electricity from it's mouth as the giant took a swing at it with its mighty fist. Claire threw up her hands in disbelief, "Lightening, that's even worse!"

The others watched in slight amusement as they bantered. Bull almost begged to get Claire to let him fight the dragon, but she was not having it.

"I said no, we have enough on our plate already; look what it's doing to that giant! He is getting torn to pieces, literally! I'm not strong enough to fight that she-beast." She said indignantly.

"But boss, I'll be there to protect you." He said with grin.

"Fuck. That. Today we are here for the Blades of Hessarian. Maybe another day or month for dragon chasing."

Bull scuffed his heel in disappointment, but fell back in line as they went around, way far around the fighting leviathans and continued on their journey.

They continued through the wet grass, and up the muddy, rocky hill. It began to rain again as they continued all the way to the top where the ledge overlooked their final destination. Varric was a cursing miserable mess by the time they made it to the top. Poor man was out of breath.

"Well… there it is the Blade of Hessarian stronghold. So how do we do this Seeker?" Varric asked as he crouched by the ledge.

Solas took refuge under a tree, his weight resting upon his staff. "James and Callum said that this man cannot be reasoned with, regardless there will be a fight. If we can convince his followers to join our cause the odds would be in our favor." Solas suggested.

Cassandra shook her head in agreement, "That would be the best course of action, and if we ascend upon them with our weapons bare they will attack us." She then looked to Clair, "Do you have the crest?"

Claire stuck her hand down her collar, pulling out the Mercy Crest. It was yellow and in the shape of a pentagon with some red symbol in the middle.

Bull joined the conversation, "You show that to the guards at the door and then negotiations will begin. Though that won't matter considering the leader doesn't listen to reason. More than likely you will have to fight him one on one… are you ready for that?"

They watched her closely as she stared down at the encampment; Claire was mediocre with a blade, and still hadn't killed anyone to date,

"No," Claire said softly, "I'm not ready, and that's why I'm riding on the hope that this guy will listen to reason."

"That's a big gamble, Swing and a Miss." Varric replied seriously, the redhead nodded solemnly,

"I know," She suddenly turned to them and smiled, "But if there's even a small chance to talk this out, I'll take it. I won't resort to violence."

"Whatever your decision, Claire," Assured the Seeker, "We're right behind you."

They set off down the hill, slipping on the loose mud and rocks. When they reached the bottom, Claire ordered for everyone to sheathe their weapons and they carefully approached the fortress. When they were within sights of the battlements they found themselves being targeted by archers.

"Please," Cried Claire, arms outstretched in an effort to calm them, "Listen to me. I am Claire, I'm with the Inquisition. I bear the Mercy's Crest, by your rules I'm inclined to talk to your leader.

It was quiet, the archer's never moved. She could feel her party members' tense, ready to run into the forest for cover if needed. She hoped it wouldn't be, that they would try and see reason. Suddenly, the gates swung open. Two people marched out both bearing the Crests of the Blades. One sneered at her. He bore the same look of Bronson and his friends; ugly, receding hairlines, missing teeth and a horrid smell around them. His companion, however, was well kept. He sported full brown hair, and gentle yet cold green eyes. The obvious bandit sneered at her as they approached,

"And what business does the Inquisition with the Blades of Hessarian?"

"That's for your leader to know, not you." Snapped Claire. The other male snarled and reached for his sword. His impassive companion swung out his arm to stop him,

"The law states that those who bears the Mercy's Crest are allowed amnesty," He said coldly, "Break that rule, and your life ends here." He turned to Claire and motioned for her to follow him inside.

Men on either side of the door gazed at her as she walked in, like a rabbit in a wolves den. The Mabari barked loudly at their entrance; the only thing that kept them from attacking were their armored masters. Soldiers left and right observed her, most with impassive expressions, others with fierce sneers.

Walking down the pathway a swinging motion caught her attention. She turned to give it a passing glance, but froze at what she saw.

Hanging from the rafters of a nearby barn were two figures. She'd only met them yesterday, but she recognized their features and blonde hair. James and Callum were covered in dry blood, and stripped of their armor. Their skin bored bruises and cuts, a beating before they had been killed.

"What happened?"

Her silent companion observed the bodies, "Loren, our illustrious leader, does not take kindly to those who do not follow his orders. When James and Callum returned and gave their report, he had them killed as an example."

"And you allowed this to happen? They were your brothers in arms!" Claire replied incredulously,

"There are not enough of the original Blades left to pick a fight with Loren; despite appearances he and his men are far stronger for any of us to fight, even together."

"You sound like a coward." Spat Claire, the young man's face darkened at her words,

"You want to talk to Loren," He pointed out coldly, "You know what he's capable of, and yet you'll let him live."

With narrow eyes, she glared up at him, "At least I'm standing up to him; that's more than any of you Blades have ever done."

She turned quickly on her heel and continued up the rough walkway. Eyes watched as approached the man waiting for her at the end. He wasn't what Claire was expecting; someone fat, smelly, and ugly at least. But this Loren was far from it; he stood tall and proud, arms crossed as his sharp eyes stared down at her. She swallowed beneath his cold gaze, but firmly stood her ground

"I take it you're Loren, the Leader of the Blades of Hessarian?"

"That I am," he said snidely, "And you must be the feared Herald of Andraste. I will admit I was curious to see what frightens little boys, but all I'm met with is this? I have to say I am not impressed." His men chuckled as he gave her a mocking bow, "To what do I owe the honor of addressing you, M'lady?"

He was talking down at her, like she was barely dirt beneath his feet. It made her hands clench tightly, "You know damn well why I'm here," She snapped, "You've been attacking my camps, MY men. I'm going to put a stop to that."

"And just how will you do that I wonder?" He questioned, "Will you kill me, Herald? Or will one of your friends do it for you? You might try and act brave, but I see you for exactly what you are: A little girl who barely knows how to handle her own blade."

"Don't listen to him, Claire." Cassandra cut in sharply, which caused an uproar of more laughter,

"Ha, her companions even speak for her," Loren Chuckled, "You amuse me, Herald. Since you came all this way, I'll make you a deal. In exchange for your life, and of your friends, I want in on this little Inquisition. I want your supplies, your information, first pick of anything that's remotely useful, and you get to walk away. Do we have an accord?"

He held out his hand for her to take. Claire gazed at it; they had talked it out, had come to a one sided agreement. If she took the deal she wouldn't have to resort to violence.

And yet….

The mere thought of taking that man's hand made her sick. She knew if she took it she'd be selling herself out. Loren was despicable, the absolute worst kind of person. He done nothing but mock and ridicule her the entire she had been here. And she looked around at the rest of the Blades, the ones who were too weak and beaten to stand up for themselves.

If she took that deal, the Inquisition would turn out to be exactly like this.

And that was unacceptable.

"I'll tell you the same thing your pal Bronson told me," She spat coldly as she watched Loren's snicker falter, "No deal! This is going to work one of two ways. Either you surrender peacefully, and keep your life in the process, or so help me you will die."

Weapons were drawn quickly from both sides; Claire gripped her sword tightly, her shield raised. This man and his cohorts snarled down at her. Her eyes flickered to the other members of the Blades, whose eyes were trained on the bandits

"Stupid girl," He sneered, "You're going to die here trying to be a hero!"

He swung forward, so fast she was lucky she raised her shield in time. She grunted against the blow, and he pushed her back roughly. She fought back, shoving him off of her so she could advance on him. Claire tried to stun him with her shield, but he easily parried her attack with a turn of his sharp blade.

Behind her she could hear the sounds of a scuffle behind her. Her party and the more amicable members of the Blades were engaged with the bandits. Cassandra and Bull fought desperately to reach her, but Loren's men were making it difficult for them. They were intent on making this a one-on-one fight between the two.

Claire swung wildly and it was quickly blocked with an expert flourish of her opponent's sword. She parried his attack and lashed forward only to severely miss. The back and forth dance of death pushed her to the edge of her limits; her mind had gone blank, for there was barely any time for a coherent thought. Every muscle was acting on her instincts and her will to survive.

Then, in one moment, she managed to catch him off guard. In retrospect it was stupid how it had happened; her footing had slipped in the mud, and she tripped forward into his legs and taking him down with her. They scuffled wildly for a second or two, her trying to scramble away as he shot to his feet and charged towards her.

She felt so small, fearfully staring up at his raging form. Her mind raced in terror and she felt her arms move. Her hands gripped her sword, and she ducked his wild swing and came up from beneath him, her blade slipping between the cracks of his armor and burying itself deep within his chest.

A shocked silence fell upon the camp, the pitter patter of the rain the only noise heard among the staring soldiers. The leader of the bandits, grimaced against the blade, gripping his chest in pain; she'd a struck a deadly blow. Blood seeped from the deep wound, slipping over the blade and hilt to stain her hands.

Claire snapped back to reality with a horrified gasp, and she violently pushed away her armored opponent. He stumbled with a grunt, landing on his back. Weakly, he pulled the blade from his chest and tossed it carelessly to the side. She approached in a numb shock, falling onto her knees beside his failing body. He glared at her as best he could through his weak eyes. Suddenly, his hand shot out and grasped her painfully by the jaw,

"You...bitch..."

And his bloody hand fell away, and he lay there on the wet ground dead.

* * *

**_A/N: Alright, the next chapter is up and ready to go. This is one is a long one, and I really hope you enjoyed. I would appreciate some constructive criticism._**

**_Speaking of constructive criticism, I would like to thank the last few reviewers for their insights and advice. I understand now that I need to make Claire her own person, and I'm really going to try harder to make sure her decisions are her own. Also I would like to point out that Constructive criticism means it has to be constructive. Cursing at me and my lack of skill at writing where everyone can see it is very tactless and very immature. This person knows who they are, and I would ask for others not to follow in their footsteps. This is supposed to be fun, and people like that don't make it so._**

**_Thank you for your time!_**

**_PathlessSpore_**


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